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Rita advises on a broad range of commercial and corporate transactions, including M&A, joint ventures, shareholder agreements, restructuring, dissolutionagency, franchising and licensing.

She regularly advises on all aspects of UAE laws, including free zones, regulatory compliance and corporate governance, including directors’ duties. Her experience includes breaches of confidentiality, white-collar crime, as well as cross-border fraud, cyber-policies and cybercrime.

Her experience extends to advising on contentious and non-contentious issues relating to construction, projects and real estate developments, and she acts as a UAE counsel in relation to project finance.

In the maritime sector Rita advises on yacht sale and purchase, building, financing, registration, charter, collisions, refits and repairs, crew employment matters, civil and criminal disputes, yacht dealership agreements and berthing licence agreements.

Furthermore, she has extensive experience in advising on dispute resolution and commercial litigation, arrests and attachment of assets, misappropriation of funds and fatality incidents.

Highlight Matters

• Incorporating the holding, project and M&O entities for the purpose of a US$ 1.5 billion independent water and power project and provided the legal opinions required by the banks for the financing of the project.
• Providing general assistance with corporate and contractual matters related to the acquisition of a minority stake in an existing local Angolan entity owned by the client’s distributor in the country.
• Advising on a high-end Franchise, the corporate structure, the Sub franchise arrangement in the GCC, consultancy arrangements, IP and employment matters.
• Acting for a foreign national energy company in recovering funds fraudulently electronically transferred to a false bank account in the UAE as a part of an international fraud operation, successfully representing the claimant in the UAE courts. This involved the police, public prosecution and UAE Central Bank.
• Acting for a European contractor in ADCCAC arbitration against Abu Dhabi based entity in a dispute concerning commission payments.
• Advising one of the world’s largest companies with activities in water management, waste management, transport and energy services, on  a BOT arrangement  in relation to a waste-to-energy plant in Dubai
• Advising in relation to a cross border fraud of around USD 50 million perpetuated by a Private Bank which failed to comply with the client’s transfer instructions and instead deposited the funds into a bank account it held in the UAE.
• Advising on the market dominance, regulatory position, processes, compliance and violations should the client’s market share exceeds 40% in the UAE due to a cross border merger. 
• In the context of capital restructuring of a solar project,  advising on the validity of the company structure, redemption of shares and increase of the company’s share capital to above AED 300 million.
•  Advising a client ultimately owned by a fund, which is being restructured due to certain irregularities, on a management buyout and the sale of the company, the restructure of management, termination of employees, and benefits and consequences of voluntarily liquidation verse bankruptcy.

Quote

Rita has a wealth of experience gained from being in the UAE for over 25 years Giving her  a deep understanding of the regional laws and their application  have enhanced her commercial and innovative skills.

Professional Associations & Memberships

• Lawyer’s Bar Association of Tripoli - Lebanon
• International Bar Association
• Solicitors Regulation Authority
• Dubai Business Women Council
• Lebanese Business Council
• Netherlands Business Council
• Arab Renewable Energy Commission

What you may not know about Rita

Rita loves mentoring and supporting the newly qualified.