MAHMOUD
ABUWASEL
Managing Partner
Mahmoud Abuwasel is a Harvard graduate practitioner with substantial experience in high-value and cross-jurisdictional disputes and focuses on international arbitration, complex litigation, and tax controversy.
He has represented leading HNW investors, publicly listed companies, Government companies, large family holding companies, and multinationals in multi-billion-dollar litigation and arbitration proceedings and is regularly published and interviewed in leading news outlets.
Mahmoud is an admitted lawyer in Australia, a registered legal consultant in the UAE and the ADGM, and in Part 1 of the DIFC Courts, has completed the Gold Standard Course by the Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, and is a licensed solicitor in the State of Victoria.
Mahmoud also serves as Vice-President of The Hague Institute for Global Justice in the Netherlands and served as Co-Chair of International Development of the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs.
Mahmoud is regularly published and interviewed by leading outlets such as LexisNexis, Thomson Reuters, MEED Magazine, Gulf Business, Gulf News, and Law.com.
Clients describe him as “being a quick thinker”, “an outstanding gentleman”, “a great professional lawyer”, “a master at his game”, and an “unstoppable force”.
Admission
- Admitted lawyer in Australia
- Licensed solicitor in the State of Victoria
- Registered legal consultant in the UAE and the ADGM
- Registered in Part I of the DIFC Courts
Education
- University of Southern Queensland, Juris Doctor
- Harvard University, Master’s Degree
- Toronto Commercial Arbitration Society, Gold Standard Course
- Middlesex University, Master’s Degree
- Carleton University, Bachelor’s Degree
Commercial Arbitration
- ICC construction procurement dispute between Canadian entity and Spanish / Korean consortium.
- ICC construction dispute between Korean subcontractor and Chinese main contractor.
- Ad hoc insurance dispute between UAE construction firm and global insurance provider.
- DIAC hotel development-related dispute between HNW developer and Indian contracting firm.
- ICC emergency arbitration procedures between Jordanian contracting firm and UAE State entity.
Treaty Arbitration
- UNCITRAL proceedings under the OIC treaty between a Jordanian investor and EMEA State.
- ICSID proceedings under a BIT between a Dutch holding conglomerate and an EMEA State.
- ICSID proceedings under a BIT between a Chinese technology conglomerate and an EMEA State.
- UNCITRAL proceedings under a BIT between an Indian manufacturer and an EMEA State.
- ICSID proceedings under a BIT between a US major developer and an EMEA State.
Complex Litigation
- USD 40M vicarious liability dispute in the UAE courts between a UAE major retailer and a Korean MNC.
- INTERPOL Red Notice removal for a high-net-worth Jordanian investor related to capital markets.
- USD 120M dispute between an HNW and a major bank related to the illegitimate use of financial instruments.
- GCC multi-jurisdictional fraud supply claim related to a major infrastructure project for an Indian claimant.
- The first insurance dispute arising out of the Yemen War valued at USD 30M for a global O&G supplier.
Construction Disputes
- USD 18M dispute between an agriculture subcontractor and an Australian main contractor.
- USD 110M status-quo dispute between a UAE conglomerate and a Malaysian contractor.
- Prevention of a performance bond liquidation for a USD 40M project against a major contractor.
- Dispute Adjudication Board proceedings between a hotel fit-out subcontractor and the main contractor.
- Dispute between steel supplier and an Italian main contractor related to a USD 1.5B project.
Corporate Disputes
- USD 20M shareholder dispute between exiting shareholder and global engineering firm.
- USD 120M derivative shareholder claim for a Canadian shareholder arising from corporate fraud.
- Representing a shareholder of a Fin-Tech firm in pursuing allegations of breach of governance.
- USD 60M capital markets dispute between a shareholder of a listed firm and block trade acquirer.
- USD 40M dispute between an institutional investor and a pharmaceutical firm for misrepresentation.
Tax Controversy
- USD 30M tax dispute for an energy utility company arising from government-mandated markdowns.
- USD 120M tax dispute for a tobacco manufacturer arising from production moisture loss and wastage.
- USD 40M tax dispute for a technology MNC arising from permanent and fixed establishment status.
- USD 90M tax dispute for a publicly listed developer in relation to retrospective property development taxes.
- Tax dispute for a US defense contractor arising from defense and security agreement tax concessions.
Expert Witness
- Expert witness before the New York courts on the laws of the DIFC, ADGM, and UAE in a USD 8 billion claim.
- Expert witness before the Swiss courts in a USD 30M dispute on UAE laws relating to proxy powers.
- Declaratory testimony before the New York courts in relation to USD 90M arbitration proceedings.
- Expert opinion prepared for the UK courts in relation to corporate structuring and dissemination of assets.
- External counsel support on UAE law in relation to arbitration proceedings for a Korean law firm.
Trial Consultancy
- Advising claimant on resorting to the DIFC courts to obtain Mareva injunctions as part of global strategy.
- Advising claimant on resorting to the Singapore courts on FNC grounds vis an inoperable jurisdiction.
- Managing data insight and investigation on behalf of the claimant to pursue jurisdiction in the DIFC courts.
- Advising a large holding company on defending against injunctions in London, New York, and the UAE.
- Advising a multi-jurisdictional contractor on setting aside an arbitration award in multiple jurisdictions.