Interview with: Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Founding Partner

What do you see as the main points that differentiate Mahmood Hussain Law Firm from your competitors?

MHLF is distinguished for providing solution-oriented and valuable services to its clients. One of the main advantages of MHLF is our diversity and our success is directly attributed to our nationally and internationally trained team of regional and global lawyers. Equipped with international lawyers from a variety of legal bodies and jurisdictions, such as England & Wales Courts, New York State Bar Association, Indian Bar Association, France, Lebanon, Egypt and other jurisdictions, MHLF is driven by innovative approach to the industry and legal ingenuity. MHLF celebrates its diversity not only through the ethnic backgrounds of MHLF’s team but celebrates its ability to access different legal systems which ensures that our clients are served not only by local knowledge, but also by international standards. This is perhaps the reason that MHLF is one of the few full serviced local law firms in this jurisdiction.

Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) is an area that will likely develop within the next 12 months. Considering the impact of COVID-19 and how it has changed the relationship between business and technology, our clients are now engaged with the TMT sector more than ever. Further, with cross-border transactions are becoming increasingly complex and the growing use of non-traditional transactions such as Bitcoin, TMT has become an indispensable tool for the legal industry and naturally, MHLF.

Considering the above, cross-border litigation and arbitration are in greater demand now, especially as the UAE is increasing its presence internationally. Our Arbitration department has vast experience in dealing with domestic and international arbitral disputes handling disputes both institutional and Ad Hoc to the tune of over 2 Billion Dirhams, will likely expand its reach within the next 12 months.

What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

At MHLF, I believe we have upgraded the standard of the local law firms which has been essential as the expectation of the market has increased in recent years. This directly impacts our clients in their ability to access a particular standard of client care and legal expertise all under one roof. Moreover, with the unrivalled range of local, regional and international experience, we offer a pragmatic and “hands on” approach to the client needs inevitably benefitting the client in the long run.

Is technology changing the way you interact with your clients, and the services you can provide them?

The COVID-19 pandemic has, without a doubt, changed how the world operates and has forced many to utilize technology to its advantage. At MHLF, we quickly adapted to the volatile changes that the pandemic brought forth and ensured that our client’s needs were met. While COVID-19 has limited face-to-face interaction and meetings with clients, our use of technology ensured that client contact was not restricted and allowed our clients to access our services throughout the pandemic. Considering that the courts in the UAE and other regions of the world have adopted virtual hearings, this allowed us to assist in more international hearings and strengthen our international expertise.

Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

In the UAE, most businesses are family oriented. Our partners have close connections to the government of the UAE and to the highest regulators in the UAE, which allows us to be intrinsically linked with the UAE. Further, considering our close relations to the government and regulators, in addition to our expertise and knowledge, we can analyze, anticipate and apply the needs of the market and government policies which allows us to provide our clients with first-rate advice and guidance.

We have recent advised a client and provided services to restructure a DIFC Company so as to invite capital investments in accordance with the laws limiting the clients’ liabilities to a minimum. We were successful in setting up the corporate structure, resulting in the company raising capital investments amounting to approx. AED 70 Million.

Additionally, we are representing an event management company and successfully procured event management contracts for EXPO 2020. We assisted them in negotiations with EXPO and the Subcontractors.

Furthermore, we provided services to a renowned developer in Dubai concerning a high- end project which encountered numerous issues in completion and exposure to liabilities from investors and contractors, forcing the Project to liquidation. Through our efforts and advise, we managed to save the project from liquidation to the extent that the project is now handed over to the investors.

Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three years’ time?

We have and will continue to be able to raise the bar regarding the standard of legal services currently available in the market. God willing, MHLF shall be recognized as a Tier 1 Law Firm under multiple facets of law within the next three years.