As one of the oldest law firms in town, Galadari & Associates believes it has an obligation to do what is best for Dubai. The firm’s lawyers tell Kathryn Young what makes it different from the rest.

Galadari & Associates doesn’t go in for self promotion. And it appears that it doesn’t need to. Boasting an impressive and hugely diverse client base that includes government ministries and international conglomerates, the firm lets its work speak for itself. “Most law firms in this region do some publicity,” says firm chairman and founding partner Ziad Galadari (pictured above). “We don’t. We leave such things to the clients. If they think we’ve done a good job or want to issue a press release about a deal, that’s fine. We don’t believe we have the right to publicise it on their behalf.”

This aversion to overt spin doctoring is linked to the fundamental ethos that underpins the firm. “We are very unique in terms of what motivates us and drives us,” asserts Rosanna Tolhurst, Galadari’s business development director. “Because Dubai is only 38 years old and the firm is 27, we believe that we have a responsibility to not just do good legal work, but to be working towards a sustainable financial regulatory system and a solid, robust legal framework. We have a responsibility for what happens next.”

She elucidates: “Because of the policy advice we give to so many government entities, we have to work out every sizeable impact on how things work here. We can give advice, improve things and better the system by the knowledge we have.

And this is what drives us. It is not just doing a bit of work and handing out a bill. Rather it is about what impact the work we do will have on Dubai,” she says.

Collective responsibility
A strong belief in the greater good has encouraged Ziad Galadari to personally assist other firms looking to establish a presence in the region. “We have actually helped many international law firms to get their licences – for example by providing them with a written letter of recommendation, or going down with them to the Ruler’s Court. If you want a first-class city you need to have the best of everything – the best law firms, the best doctors, the best supermarkets and so on,” he says.

“We do not have any direct competitors in terms of law firms operating in the region,” Galadari continues. “The international firms are not competing with us. For example they can’t go to court so they have to come to us for that. You’d probably put us in the same category as the likes of Al Tamimi and Hadef, but everyone has their own clients, their own way of marketing their firm and their own approach to doing business. We often recommend other local law firms – we can’t take all of the work,” he jokes.

Galadari & Associates was established in 1983 and is one of the oldest and largest law firms in the region. It now boasts a total staff of around 150 and has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Plans to further expand regionally are currently on hold because of the financial crisis and the firm is instead taking the chance to fine tune its current offering. “This is actually a very good opportunity to build on our regional strength,” says Tolhurst. “Often when you start looking further afield you realise that people’s energy and perspectives are actually better focused at home. There is so much work yet to get right in Dubai that we need to make sure it is done before we start looking at the likes of Saudi, Qatar and Kuwait.”

Although Galadari & Associates’ physical presence is focused on the UAE, it undertakes a large amount of cross-jurisdictional and international work. The firm’s capability in this regard is strengthened by the fact it has on its books a wide range of lawyers from a huge number of different jurisdictions. Bode Wilfred (pictured overleaf), a senior legal advisor in Galadari’s banking and finance practice and winner of the Private Practitioner of the Year award at The Brief’s 2009 Middle East Legal Awards, says that the diversity of the seven lawyers in his team is a huge advantage. “If a client comes to the office and wants to talk in Chinese, we can do it. If we have a client with business interests in Nigeria, we can be there.”

Pages: 1 2