Defined
by results.
Carrying 230 years of legal and geopolicy heritage not to look backward, but to provide you with a depth of foresight that simply cannot be replicated.
SOHAIR SABER
We specialize in high-stakes litigation where business continuity is on the line. Our practice focuses on winning claims, reversing adverse judgments, and protecting corporate assets against significant liability.
We manage the full lifecycle of an arbitration. Our team is expert in navigating arbitration proceedings and enforcement strategy in challenging jurisdictions.
We architect mission-critical agreements, from cross-border joint ventures to complex technology licensing. We ensure your commercial objectives are secured.
We bridge the gap between compliance and political reality. Our team provides strategic counsel on legislative monitoring, sanctions protocols, and government relations to ensure stability in volatile markets
Emerging Technology Litigation
Digital Asset Claims
We litigate complex claims regarding platform failures, fraud, and liability. Our practice extends to enforcement actions involving control of wallets and misleading whitepapers.
Regulatory & Strategic Advice
Space and Defense
We advise space and defense corporations on launches, export controls, and regulatory compliance. We ensure alignment between operational objectives and government policy.
Tax Controversy & Litigation
Tax Disputes (UAE)
We have a special practice dedicated to tax controversy at our United Arab Emirates office where we have litigated over 300 tax dispute procedures in matters collectively over USD 500 million.
Mitigating Disputes & Uncertainty
Legal Risk Management
Our team tailors a proactive risk strategy that wards off potential disputes. We analyze your target operations, contracts, and policies to identify vulnerabilities and turn them into strengths.
Cross-Border Enforcement
We execute rapid recovery protocols against non-compliant debtors and implement immediate protective measures to defend client assets from aggressive seizure orders.
Tax Audit Response
We intervene immediately upon receipt of tax audit notifications or penalty assessments to suspend liability and shift the burden of proof away from the taxpayer.
Crypto Fraud Protection
We deploy emergency forensic tracing and cross-border injunctions to freeze dissipated assets and recover control of compromised digital wallets before funds are lost.
EOT Construction Claims
We substantiate critical path delays to secure immediate extensions of time (EOT), preventing the imposition of liquidated damages on distressed infrastructure projects.
Lawyers and Consultants
Tier-1 Services
Since 1799
We are not a collection of isolated departments; we are a single lineage of lawyers and geopolicy consultants that have operated at the intersection of commerce and sovereignty for 230 years. Our firm’s DNA was forged in 1799 on the ramparts of Acre, where our predecessor Jason (Yassin) Abuwasel stood as Soldier-Jurist and Dragoman, mediating between empires to repel a siege during the Napoleonic Wars. From the trade courts of the 19th-century Levant to the corridors of Washington D.C., Melbourne, Toronto, and Abu Dhabi today, our firm has evolved by mastering the development of economies.
Leadership
The partners leading the firm.
Our principals drive the vision, supported by an agile network of legal and consulting experts ready to mobilize across borders.
Sohair Saber
Partner - Policy
Mahmoud Abuwasel
Partner - Disputes
Abdulla Abuwasel
Partner - Transactions
We let our track record do the talking.
Universal Jurisdiction and the Situs of Centralized Digital Assets: An Analysis of Crypto Server Location in Iakovlev v. Epayments Systems Ltd. (Ontario Superior Court of Justice)
Introduction In the rapidly expanding world of digital finance, courts face a novel challenge: determining the legal location, or situs, of supposedly borderless crypto assets. When a digital asset is lost or stolen on an international platform, where exactly does the legal harm occur? The Ontario Superior Court of Justice
War Series: The “Fix-It On-Site” Fallacy, Pre-Existing Breaches, and the Limits of Force Majeure – Applying the Dubai Courts’ Sudan War Jurisprudence to GCC Construction Logistics in the 2026 Iran War
Introduction: The Fog of War and the Shield of Convenience As the 2026 Iran War aggressively reverberates across the Middle East, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) finds its sprawling construction, engineering, and infrastructure sectors facing an unprecedented logistical paralysis. With military exclusion zones declared across critical maritime chokepoints in the
War Series: Force Majeure, Civil Aviation Disruption, and the Allocation of Wartime Risk – Applying the 2017 UAE Courts Yemen War Precedents to GCC Airspace in the 2026 Iran War
The escalation of the 2026 Iran War has profoundly disrupted civil aviation and logistics networks across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). As military commands issue sudden Notices to Air Missions (NOTAMs) and civil aviation authorities abruptly close air corridors to commercial traffic, aviation operators and freight forwarders find themselves trapped
War Series: Wartime Economic Hardship and Lender Liability – Applying the 2006 UAE Supreme Court Gulf War Precedent to GCC Markets in the 2026 Iran War
The ongoing 2026 Iran War has introduced significant macroeconomic disruptions across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). As supply chains constrict, project timelines extend, and operational costs rise, many regional commercial entities are turning to their financial institutions for vital liquidity and forbearance. Simultaneously, banks may activate stringent risk management protocols,
UAE Crypto Litigation: When War Doesn’t Excuse Crypto Losses – A Dubai Court Judgment on Force Majeure, War, and the 2026 Iran War
The following is an excerpted analysis of topics discussed in the book ‘UAE Crypto Litigation‘, a treatise on the judicial evolution of digital asset disputes in the United Arab Emirates, available at www.uaecryptolitigation.com. In the immediate aftermath of a geopolitical shock, such as the escalating conflict involving Iran, a frantic
The 2026 Iran War, Tax Audits, and Force Majeure: The UAE Supreme Court’s Standard for Force Majeure in Tax Audits and Liabilities
The outbreak of the Iran War on 28 February 2026 has abruptly plunged the Middle East into profound operational disruption. Consequently, corporate boards operating within the United Arab Emirates are instinctively looking to the doctrine of force majeure and emergency circumstances (thuroof tari’a) as legal shields. Having acted in over
UAE Crypto Litigation: The “Man in the Middle” and the Duty of Delivery
The following is an excerpted analysis of topics discussed in the book UAE Crypto Litigation, a treatise on the judicial evolution of digital asset disputes in the United Arab Emirates, available at www.uaecryptolitigation.com. A defining feature of blockchain transactions is their irreversibility. If an asset is sent to the wrong
War Series: The 1991 Gulf War UNCC Precedent and the Arbitration of Environmental Damage in Conflict Zones
When Iraqi forces retreated from Kuwait in 1991, they left behind an unprecedented ecological catastrophe. Over 600 oil wells were set ablaze, and millions of barrels of crude oil were intentionally released into the Persian Gulf. The sky turned black, and coastal ecosystems were devastated. Beyond the profound human and
UAE Crypto Litigation: Specific Performance and the Return of the Asset In Specie
The following is an excerpted analysis of topics discussed in the book UAE Crypto Litigation, a treatise on the judicial evolution of digital asset disputes in the United Arab Emirates, available at www.uaecryptolitigation.com. When a debtor defaults on a loan of 10 Bitcoin, or an employer fails to pay a
Musk Announces SpaceX to Build Self-Growing City on the Moon Within 10 Years
It is not unbeknown to the public that NASA, for over a decade now, has been working to get humans back on the Moon. This has been a long and challenging journey that has successfully culminated in the Artemis II launch to the Moon this year. On the other side
UAE Crypto Litigation: WhatsApp and the Unsigned Contract
The following is an excerpted analysis of topics discussed in the book UAE Crypto Litigation, a treatise on the judicial evolution of digital asset disputes in the United Arab Emirates, available at www.uaecryptolitigation.com. In the fast-paced environment of crypto-trading, formal contracts are frequently neglected in favor of instant messaging. Deals
Russian Spy Satellites Intercepting European Satellite Communications
European space security officials are increasingly concerned that two Russian “inspector” satellites have been used to collect communications associated with multiple European satellites, including traffic linked to government and military users. This has evidently been a sustained pattern over several years, with the alleged consequence being intelligence collection and a