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Real Estate & Construction and Hotels & Leisure
Real estate, construction, and hospitality are at the forefront of transformation across the Middle East – reshaping cities, driving investment, and demanding increasingly sophisticated legal frameworks.
In the June edition of Law Update, we take a closer look at the legal shifts influencing the sector – from Dubai’s new Real Estate Investment Funds Law and major reforms in Qatar, to Bahrain’s push toward digitalisation in property and timeshare regulation. We also explore practical issues around strata, zoning, joint ventures, and hotel management agreements that are critical to navigating today’s market.
As the landscape becomes more complex, understanding the legal dynamics behind these developments is key to making informed, strategic decisions.
2025 is set to be a game-changer for the MENA region, with legal and regulatory shifts from 2024 continuing to reshape its economic landscape. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iraq, Qatar, and Bahrain are all implementing groundbreaking reforms in sustainable financing, investment laws, labor regulations, and dispute resolution. As the region positions itself for deeper global integration, businesses must adapt to a rapidly evolving legal environment.
Our Eyes on 2025 publication provides essential insights and practical guidance on the key legal updates shaping the year ahead—equipping you with the knowledge to stay ahead in this dynamic market.
A complete spectrum of legal services across jurisdictions in the Middle East & North Africa.
Samir Kantaria
Partner, Head of Employment & Incentives
Biography
Samir leads the firm’s Employment & Incentives practice which comprises the largest team of specialist employment lawyers in the Middle East. He advises on the full range of employment law issues, contentious and non-contentious, and Samir’s experience includes regularly advising major blue chip, multinational and semi-governmental companies in relation to their day-to-day employment queries. He combines technical expertise with business acumen and project management skills, and is known for giving pragmatic and commercial advice.
Samir is acknowledged as a Band 1 ranked lawyer by Chamber & Partners, as a Leading Individual in Legal 500, and is the only lawyer to be listed in Who’s Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Global Elite 2020 for UAE Labour & Employment.
Recent Experience
- Providing employment input in respect of a transactions within the pharma sector being the two largest asset swap transactions worldwide to date.
- Advising a leading global technology company in respect of the acquisition of a competitor and the resultant ongoing harmonization exercise.
- Managing all the Middle East employment law issues arising from the acquisition by a telecoms hardware company of a global competitor.
- Representing a multi-national chemical company in respect of unfair dismissal and discrimination claims brought in the UAE and the US;
- Acting as Middle East and Africa employment law coordinator for a US multinational medical device, pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods manufacturing company.
Language(s)
- English
- Gujarati
- Hindi
Education
1993 – Solicitor’ Final Examinations, College of Law
1992 – Bachelor of Law (Hons), University of Warwick
Admission
1996 – Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England & Wales
Practice(s)
Country Group(s)
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