Regional Desk Middle East and Türkiye

Regional Desk Middle East and Türkiye

The firm's Middle East and Türkiye desk advises Swiss businesses and expatriates with projects in the region as well as local businesses and high net worth individual investing abroad. It also leads major international commercial arbitrations and litigation matters, especially in respect of oil and gas and construction project disputes.

Expertise

Experience

Schellenberg Wittmer has been involved in projects in the Middle East & Türkiye since the early 80s, especially in the GCC countries, and has developed an extensive network in the region. For decades, we have advised Swiss businesses and expats in connection with their activity in the region.

We assist local companies, especially family owned enterprises, with structuring their investments abroad and with corporate governance matters, helping them to adapt to the risks and to seize

the opportunities of the geopolitical changes in the region. We have a strong experience in family business succession planning.

High net worth individuals from the region turn also to us for a wide array of projects in respect of their assets abroad, ranging from banking, real estate, yacht and aircraft finance or art and philanthropy. We are also regularly called to advise on case related to family governance and relocation.

Our leading international litigation and arbitration teams based in Switzerland and Singapore offer outstanding strategic advice and advocacy for international commercial, investment and sports disputes. With our experience and understanding of the market, we manage to bridge cultural gaps and achieve the expected results be it through negotiation, mediation, adjudication or arbitration proceedings.

  • We are advising, on an ongoing basis, the Swiss private banking affiliate of a prominent GCC Bank on all regulatory and commercial legal issues
  • We are assisting a Middle Eastern family for estate planning purposes, in setting up a private dedicated mutual fund for holding and consolidating the bulk of family's asset abroad, ranging from financial assets and private equity to real estate
  • We are advising a Middle Eastern family business in structuring and operating a joint venture with a foreign entity for a major infrastructure project
  • Representation of the Vice President of the Qatar Football Association, in a high-profile sports-related dispute regarding his suspension by the FIFA Ethics Committee. The case was won on appeal, the decision was overturned and all the disciplinary charges against the client were dismissed
  • We act as Swiss counsel to a State-owned entity and a State in high value ICC arbitration. The dispute related to one of the largest construction projects in the energy sector in the world in which our client has invested billions of dollars
  • We act as lead counsel in a multi-billion dollar licensing dispute involving the Israeli and Swiss subsidiaries of one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies
  • We are lead counsel to a leading Middle Eastern construction company in an ICC arbitration arising out of the termination of a construction contract

Contact

Partners

Full Team

Awards & Recognitions

  • Chambers & Partners
  • Legal 500
  • Who's Who Legal
  • The IFLR
  • Private Client Global Elite
  • Wealthbriefing Awards
  • Financial Times Innovative Lawyers

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