We are a multi-disciplinary law firm, in service to a diverse client base coming from a wealth of sectors and backgrounds, including entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals, SMEs, large local and multinational businesses, family businesses and family offices, banks and financial institutions, embassies and government departments and government-owned companies. We know that our clients seek practical advice and holistic solutions, which we strive to provide. We are uniquely placed to meet our client’s needs, combining our in-depth understanding of the cultural environment in the UAE with specialist legal expertise.
We provide comprehensive support to over 15 of the top banks and financial institutions in the UAE, with some of these relationships stretching back over 25 years. We advise and assist on complex transactions and matters as diverse as local & international syndicated loans, debt restructuring, debt to equity conversions, exits, assignments of rights and obligations, perfection of security including corporate or personal guarantees, mortgages and pledges, enforcement against such security, debt recovery and dispute resolution. We also help financial institutions with diverse regulatory & compliance matters and with the drafting or modification of standard form documents such as account opening forms, facility agreements and the like. Our clients also regularly call upon us to provide in-house training and conferences on various matters.
Salloum & Partners LLC provides practical advice and solutions to many local and multinational commercial enterprises across many diverse sectors and fields. Our clients include retail businesses, trading firms and wholesale distributors, contractors, architects and engineering consultants, manufacturers, real-estate and property developers, hotel operators and hotel owners, healthcare providers, insurance companies, IT service providers, airlines, logistics and transportation enterprises, and other service providers. We address areas of concern to them and assist them in overcoming stumbling blocks so they can focus on adding value. Our firm advises and assists businesses on matters including setup and expansion in the UAE, corporate restructuring, conversions or changes to legal forms, obtaining or restructuring credit facilities, employment, negotiations or drafting of various contracts including design or construction contracts, commercial agency agreements, service level agreements, franchise agreements, intellectual property licensing agreements, and technical or management services agreements. We also assist them in resolving disputes, whether amicably or in arbitration or otherwise.
Our firm has a long history of assisting educational institutions – from nurseries to schools to universities to continuing education centers – in improving lives and changing the education landscape in the UAE, by providing them with the guidance and support they require. We assist in their setup and expansion in the UAE and assist and advise on all their needs, from navigating changing regulations to drafting, review or negotiation of design and construction contracts or contracts with suppliers and service providers, assistance with employment matters, the setup of alumni networks, the drafting of internal policies such as house rules, HR and procurement policies, and the handling of disputes. We notably advise the Paris Sorbonne University – Abu Dhabi (PSUAD) and both French schools in Abu Dhabi. The firm’s commitment to the field of education is reflected in the active engagement of its partners. For instance, our managing partner, Mr. Samir Salloum, currently sits on the boards of the Future Center for Special Needs Children and of the Alliance Française’s Abu Dhabi chapter; Mr. Ziad Salloum, partner, is on the board of the Lycee Theodore Monod and of the St Mary group of schools, which owns and operates more than 6 schools across the UAE.
Understanding the specific needs of the hospitality industry, the firm provides comprehensive advice and assistance to both owners and local and multinational hospitality management companies. We provide support throughout the development process – whether of restaurants, furnished apartments or hotels – including assistance with negotiating & drafting agreements pertaining to management, consultancy and technical assistance, intellectual property licensing, architecture & design, construction and financing. Our support continues once a property is built and is operational, addressing all the day to day needs of the hospitality industry, from items as diverse as employment, licensing, or supplier relationships and dispute resolution. In addition, we assist our clients with refinancing and restructuring arrangements, franchising and acquisitions. During one notable negotiation of a hotel management agreement relating to a large hotel complex in Dubai, we were honoured to have received an extraordinary measure of trust and recognition from the parties involved. We were advising the owner in this transaction. Following the end of a meeting, the hotel operator sought to engage us to advise on an unrelated matter. Both the owner and the hotel operator waived conflict, allowing us to continue working to finalise the negotiation on behalf of the owner on one side, while assisting operator on the other matter. The negotiations concluded successfully and we thereafter continued to engage with both clients on other matters thereafter.
Salloum & Partners LLC advises government departments and government-owned companies and authorities. We provide support on construction contracts, public private partnerships (PPP), build operate and transfer agreements (BOT). Our advice and assistance also extends to myriad fields and aspects from regulatory, procurement and employment issues, to miscellaneous corporate and commercial matters. The firm also regularly assists and works with numerous embassies of foreign governments, advising and assisting on diverse issues including tenancy, immigration, and employment matters. The firm is also often called upon to address constituents and provide guidance on the cultural mores and the laws of the UAE, or otherwise to assist and advise consular sections in respect of difficulties that may be faced by their constituents in the UAE. The support the firm provides also extends to advice on trade and economic matters. For instance, our Managing Partner Mr Samir Salloum is a Foreign Trade Counsellor to the French government, a role he has performed since 2000.
As a family business ourselves, we are uniquely placed to understand the needs and concerns of family businesses in the region. We have been advising principals and prominent business families since we first opened our doors in 1980. As a firm, we have continued to expand our services to match the growing needs of the businesses and business families we represent. This includes advice and assistance on the restructuring of family businesses, or the setup of family offices. We assist with the preparation of constitutional documents, shareholder agreements and family constitutions. We also provide private client services, including wealth and estate planning services, with the use of diverse tools such as wills and trusts. Salloum & Partners is also proud to have expanded our offering beyond the purely legal, to include transition and succession planning advice and services. With only 30% of family businesses successfully transferring to the next generation, the failure to plan and manage succession is the biggest threat to the survival of family businesses. It is therefore not surprising that most business owners consider succession to be their number one concern. We are committed to assisting family businesses overcome this challenge and to converting succession into an opportunity to preserve a legacy, reflecting the family’s ideals and goals.