Aviation & Security Disputes

Wasel & Wasel represents clients in contentious matters related to repossession actions, obtaining injunctive relief, enforcing judgments, differences of contractual interpretation, alleged breaches of delivery and return conditions, registration issues, and technical disputes. We act for and against airlines, manufacturers, lease buyback scheme agents, lessors, financiers, transportation banks, insurers, maintenance repair and overhaul organizations, and airports airline associations.

Our lawyers have a sophisticated understanding of how the aviation industry operates. We deal with all types of disputes, subject to litigation or arbitration, whether multijurisdictional or in domestic and foreign international arbitration proceedings, including major accidents and incidents. Our lawyers have firsthand experience in national security programs and policies at the most senior levels of the government. Our security disputes practice assists clients on a wide spectrum of matters that involve sensitive national security issues. We have extensive experience handling multijurisdictional disputes related to law enforcement, intelligence, and international police agencies.

Banking & Insurance Disputes

Our team has assisted banks, insurers, re-insurers, brokers, beneficiaries, and others in civil and criminal matters, in litigation and arbitration disputes, in the banking and insurance sector.

Our team has been involved in banking and insurance disputes in the billions of USD, and involving cross-jurisdictional litigation.

We have represented clients in insurance matters related to maritime insurance disputes, international trade insurance disputes, directors and officers insurance, and more.

We have also represented clients taking action against banks for violations of regulations and UAE Central Bank instructions.

Our team counsels clients on disputes before the UAE Central Bank and the UAE Insurance Authority, and the competent courts of the UAE, and in arbitration procedures.

Commercial Arbitration

Wasel & Wasel counsels clients on commercial arbitral disputes from strategy to enforcement. Our team has substantial experience in handling small to large scale commercial arbitrations, whether domestic, foreign, or multi-jurisdictional, complimented by our expertise in various sectors ranging from construction to trade, insurance, banking and finance, and aviation. We also have in-depth knowledge of the global arbitral institutions, with hearings conducted in Arabic or English, including:

• Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
• International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
• London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA)
• Qatar International Centre for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA)
• Abu Dhabi Commercial, Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC) 

And more.

We assist private investors, corporations, and governments providing independent representation as sole counsel or acting as first-chair or second-chair in collaboration with other firms. We also provide expert reports on domestic law and our lawyers have been on both sides of the podium – as witnesses and cross-examiners.

Corporate & Tax Disputes

Wasel & Wasel counsels shareholders on contractual breaches of shareholders agreements, articles/memoranda of association, management and service agreements, and loan agreements. We have experience in arguing for the implementation of shareholders agreements vis-a-vis articles of association and assisted in enforcement against corporates, shareholders, and directors. We have also represented clients in matters of insolvency, court-ordered liquidation, and bankruptcy.

Our team has advised on duties and liabilities of shareholders, managers, directors, and enforcement by a company against directors in case of breach of duty in derivative claims by shareholders in the name of the company. We also regularly advise and represent parties in piercing the corporate veil and taking action directly against shareholders, managers, and directors.

We are also practiced in taking action and defending directors of publicly listed companies for alleged, actual or potential conflicts of interest under the securities codes. In cases where directors are held liable by authorities, we have defendant directors vis-à-vis the public prosecution. We have also advised on the enforceability of director insurance.

Our tax litigators have counseled on tax disputes exceeding USD 400 million in collective value and are the first counsel to represent parties before the tax disputes resolution committees and Federal courts in the United Arab Emirates in tax disputes. We have been counsel on precedent-setting tax dispute rulings and are regularly engaged by HNW clients and tax advisors to counsel on issues such as voluntary disclosures and tax penalties.

Construction Disputes

Our lawyers have broad experience in issues that often arise in construction disputes including liquidated damages, prolongations and prolongation costs, distribution of liability, time bars and notice provisions, change orders and variations, extensions of time, performance bond disputes, and decennial liability. We have worked with quantum and court experts and advised and represented clients in various phases of project lifecycles, from tendering to negotiations and variations, to the issuance of snag lists and completion certificates.

Our team has substantial expertise in coordinating construction dispute management with experts and claims consultants to provide a seamless end result whether the dispute is subject to court litigation, or arbitral proceedings. We assist in reviewing detailed claim particulars, engineer correspondences, and decisions, independent determinations, preparing and assisting expert witnesses, drafting and managing supplemental agreement negotiations, and where possible support amicable settlement procedures.

We represent public and private owners and developers, and engineers and architects, general and specialized contractors, subcontractors and suppliers, manufacturers, financial institutions, guarantors and other parties involved in construction projects.

Investment Arbitration

Wasel & Wasel has pioneering expertise in high profile investor-State disputes. We have counseled and advised both investors and States which provides us a unique perspective in formulating the best strategy for either party.

Our investment treaty arbitration specialists regularly act as counsel for investors and States globally and are frequently requested to present and lecture on disputes arising out of bilateral and multilateral investment treaties, investment contracts, and other instruments, and involving a wide range of industries, including energy, construction, and security.

Companies and governments need talented counsel when facing investment treaty disputes. Wasel & Wasel’s global investment arbitration practice combines deep knowledge in international investment law and arbitration with world-class experience in emerging markets. When you partner with Wasel & Wasel, you leverage skilled lawyers who have successfully counseled clients under arbitration rules from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) to UNCITRAL.

Our investor-State disputes team represents investors in disputes arising under investment treaties and investment contracts, and have experience in Middle-Eastern regional and international conventions such as the Arab Investment Agreement or the OIC Investment Agreement.

IPT & Fin-Tech Disputes

Wasel & Wasel’s intellectual property, technology, and financial technology disputes practice assists clients on a broad range of intellectual property and technology issues that clients are faced within the modern age. Our team’s experience is a combination of practical understanding of the application of IPT and fin-tech and experience in handling complex disputes.

Our team has advised leading Silicon Valley firms and Fortune 500s on issues relating to data privacy and regulatory compliance with intellectual property and technology laws, managing disputes in strategic portfolio acquisitions and divestitures, and liability issues that arise from open-source code issues.

Our team has pioneering experience in fin-tech industry and advises clients on disputes concerned with breaches of contract, and fraud or insolvency in connection with cryptocurrencies. We counsel clients on their rights and obligations with respect to users, operators, administrators and third-party providers of blockchain technologies, and advise States on developments of blockchain and cryptocurrency policies and regulations.

Medical Cannabis Practice

With the passing of the first Arab medical cannabis law by Lebanon, W&W established the first medical cannabis practice area focused on the Middle East region.

We counsel pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers, sellers and buyers of know-how, cannabis medicinal apparatus companies, biotech companies, cannabis real estate companies, and private investors looking to explore the medical cannabis market in Lebanon.

Our medical cannabis practice clients are global, but are generally based out of the United States, Canada, China, Europe and Lebanon.

We assist in navigating licensing, insurance, and foreign corrupt practices laws and regulations including import and export licensing, regulatory scheme compliance, cannabis for medical use insurance and taxation, landlord and tenant disputes arising out of medical cannabis plantations and operations, and liability issues arising out of medical cannabis.

Our practitioners also assist foreign and Lebanese companies and investors in joint venture efforts for medical cannabis corporate formation and governance.

Real Estate & Hospitality Disputes

Wasel & Wasel counsels on real estate and hotel related disputes, including partnership and joint venture disputes, contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duty and development rights disputes, and restructurings.

We advise owners, developers, hotel brands and operators, asset managers, investors, and other stakeholders on disputes related to acquisitions and disposals, leasing, licensing, franchise and branding arrangements, project finance, establishment of funds and REITs, off-plan purchases and hotel and resort development, build-to-suit, mixed-use developments, jointly owned real estate schemes, operator appointments and management, operational matters, hotel brand protection and enforcement.

We act for hotel owners and operators in disputes subject to court litigation and disputes subject to arbitral proceedings.

State-to-State Disputes

Wasel & Wasel practices the elite representation of governments in State-to-State disputes through arbitration mechanisms in treaties, or judicial mechanisms before the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), or the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the other tribunals.

Our team also counsels States on quasi-judicial dispute settlement systems, such as the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Panel and Appellate Body system, and the Comprehensive Investment Agreement (ACIA) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

We represent States on territorial sovereignty and the delimitation of land, State-to-State dispute settlement clauses in investment-related treaties that cover disputes as to the interpretation or application of the treaty, diplomatic protection claims, and claims for declaratory relief.

Our team also regularly advises on the application of public international law in domestic courts.

Trade & Labor Disputes

Wasel & Wasel counsels foreign and domestic governments and private and public companies on trade disputes applying strategic, diplomatic and political solutions with traditional dispute resolution strategies. In every instance, we evaluate the merits of each method based on our clients’ goals.

Wasel & Wasel represents importers, exporters, suppliers, procurers, franchisors and franchisees, distributors, agents, and principals on matters related to customs, tariffs, seizure, contractual breach, contested purchases, insolvency, off-spec and defects, consumer-related disputes, competition, back-to-back claims, transportation disputes, banking, finance, and insurance claims.

Our labor disputes practice acts for employees and employers in high-value labor disputes in issues involving dismissals, compensation, regulatory issues, or collective bargaining.