Praised for its ‘significant strength in expertise’, the construction, real estate and disputes team at Charles Russell Speechlys LLP continues to grow, with head of Qatar office Alim Khamis appointed in January 2023. Khamis’ practice focuses on construction and infrastructure disputes, acting in international and domestic arbitrations. Paula Boast co-heads the team from Bahrain, leading the firm’s Middle East region construction, engineering and projects team. In Qatar, Marjan Mirrezaei and Christopher O’Brien are key team members.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘There was significant strength in expertise and efficient and effective, appropriate use of partner and associate leads for briefs and papers.'

  • 'Advice was structured appropriately for clients with limited legal expertise. They surpassed expectations.’

  • ‘Most impressive was the individuals' teamwork. There was highly effective gearing and sequencing so that they appointed a lead for the appropriate stage but awareness remained amongst the team’

  • ‘There are a lot of local and international law firms within Qatar and what stood out for me was the team’s experience in the construction field. In particular, their advice was clear, concise, and practical and not just legal jargon. The CRS team are an all-round diverse team with an array of experience spanning across the industry which has been building over a significant period of time.'

  • 'The CRS team were very professional from the outset and set our expectations. The also delivered within the timeframes they advised and within the budget which was agreed. Furthermore, there were instances where we required cross-border advice which CRS were able to effectively provide in a proactive and professional manner.'

Key clients

  • Energy City Qatar
  • FIFA 2022 World Cup
  • GEK Terna Holding Real Estate Construction S.A
  • Nixon Hire Middle East
  • Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail)

Work highlights

  • Advising Bemco in relation to their disputes with the Main Contractor QD-SBG on the Dukhan Road East Project.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Alim Khamis, Paula Boast

Other key lawyers

Thanos Karvelis, Marjan Mirrezaei, Christopher O'Brien