Dr. Mohammed Akram Sheikh is the Managing Partner of Akram Sheikh Law Associates Advocates & Legal Consultants. He is a professional lawyer with over 28 years of experience in the legal field. Holder of LLM/DES (Diploma of Higher Studies) in private law, and a Postgraduate Diploma in International Construction Law and Arbitration from the Robert Gordon University in the UK, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in London, UK, member of the International Bar Association, and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Law Firms Association, and a lecturer at the Dubai Real Estate Institute managed by the Dubai Lands Department.
He is also a member of the British Business Group, Australian Business Council, Canadian Business Council, French Business Council, Lebanese Business Council and Russian Business Council in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.
Before establishing Akram Sheikh Law Associates Law Offices, Mr. Mohammed Akram Sheikh worked as Head of Department for Banking and Real Estate Consultations and Head of Department for Corporate and Commercial Consultations at “Baker & McKenzie Habib Al Mulla”.
Mr. Mohammed Akram Sheikh possesses an intimate understanding of the local legal and economic markets as well as its governing laws and customs, and has a long history of advising in landmark UAE and cross-border complex, high-profile transactions.
His areas of expertise encompass Commercial and Corporate Law, Corporate Structuring, Mergers and Acquisitions, Agency Law, Franchising, Banking and Finance Laws, Islamic Banking, Property Law, Construction Law, Employment Law, Criminal Law, Insurance Law, Family Law, Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Internet Law, Insolvency, Litigation, Arbitration and Mediation.
He is registered in the DIFC Courts Register of Legal Practitioners with rights of audience before the Court.
He is a practicing arbitrator and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators(FCIarb) in London.
Work Experience
- Structuring the Issue of AED /800.000.000/ Bonds Convertible into shares for one of the leading Banks in the UAE.
- Drafting and Reviewing Corporate Credit Documentation and Unified Terms and Conditions for account opening and reviewing them on annual basis, and formation of Real Estate Financing SPVs, for leading banks in the UAE.
- Redrafting the Memorandum and Articles of Association after listing on financial markets for one of the leading banks in the UAE.
- Representing a Major Real Estate Development Group in a 300 million Dirham case with one of the Leading Islamic Banks in the UAE.
- Reviewing and Negotiating the documentation for a Major Real Estate Project in Dubai Internet City, the Emirate of Dubai, UAE, with the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority.
- Structuring a Concession given by Dubai Metro and documentation for equity raising, debt financing, structuring joint ventures and SPVs with banks acting as co-investors, placement agents and lead arrangers, and reviewing all other agreements related to the project inter alia project management, development and construction, financial advisory services, marketing and media related.
- Structuring a Multi-Billion Dollar Real Estate Development Project on the World Islands by Nakheel, and Drafting contracts and documentation governing equity raising, debt financing, structuring joint ventures and SPVs with co-investors, placement agents and lead arrangers, tenders and real estate development contracts, and reviewing all other agreements related to the project.
- Representing a Sub-Contractor in a multi-million Dollar case in front of the DIFC courts with one of the Leading Real Estate Contractors in the UAE.
- Acquisition and Development of Hotel and Resort complexes in Lybia, Sudan and Milan.
- Sale and Purchase of Towers under Construction.
- Legal Feasibility Studies for Major Real Estate Projects in the UAE.
- Structuring and drafting documentation for the development of a Major Real Estate Project with serviced apartments by a Real Estate Close Ended Fund established in Kuwait, run by an international operator.
- Advising and Structuring the acquisition of a Real Estate Property in Dubai by a Real Estate Close Ended Fund based in Germany and the financing through a SPV real estate financing company.
- Structuring of Public-Private Partnerships.
- Acquisition of Companies in European jurisdictions.
- Sale of Assets and Ongoing Business.
- Restructuring and Redistribution of Group of Companies.
- Estate Planning and formation of Family Holding Structures.
- Advising a leading European company on the legal aspects related to a dispute with the Government of Ajman related to a Waste Water Collection Network and Treatment Facility.
- Advising a leading European Company on the litigation aspects related to a dispute deriving from a very large industrial claim towards a Dubai Government fully owned company.
- Handling the criminal case related to the collapse of the roof of the BPST building (Jebel Ali Power and Desalination Plant, Station “K” Phase II ) and the death and injuries of workers working on site.
- Advising a leading Multinational on an arbitration before the ICC in Paris.
- Representing a leading Real Estate Developer in an arbitration/mediation with the contractors for the stone flooring and contractors for the development of apartment blocks and office tower.
- Representing a leading Multinational Company in an ICC arbitration related to a multi-billion Dollar EPC Contract (Engineer, Procure and Construct) for a Government Project in the UAE.
Presentations and Articles
November 2001 : Organizing a Labour Law Seminar held at AUD and presenting two papers on “UAE Labour Law Position with respect to ILO Declarations and Conventions” and on “Proposed Amendments to the UAE Labour Law”.
December 2001 : Main Speaker at the HR Forum held at Al Futaim Training Center along with Mr. Martin Jalili, former Director of Human Resources, Department of Economic Development, on “Revisions to the UAE Labour Law”.
February 2002 : Presented an E-brochure which I developed on “Rights of Women at Work in the UAE” at the Dubai Quality Group, Professional Women’s Subgroup 1st Anniversary Lunch at the Sphinx Restaurant.
May 2002 : Organizing an In-House Seminar for Citibank on E-Banking, and presenting two papers on “E-Banking: Electronic Documents and Digital Signatures” and on “Cyber-criminality: Internet and Credit Card Frauds”.
March 2004: Publishing an article in the In Brief (The Law and More) Magazine, published in the UK, on “International Arbitration: Arbitration in International Contracts Under the UAE Civil Procedures Code”.
June 2005: Organizing an “International Construction Conference” held at Dubai International Arbitration Centre and presenting a paper on “Arbitration from a UAE legal perspective”.
May 13, 2005: Live Interview with CNBC Arabia on “Consumer Protection”.
May 27, 2005: Live Interview with CNBC Arabia on “Rights of Women at Work”.
March 3, 2008: co-sponsoring the First Gulf Investment Forum under the slogan of “Economic Aspirations for a Common Future” in Dubai, UAE, and presenting a paper on the “Harmonization of GCC Banking Regulations”.
April 17, 2008: participating to a conference on “Doing Business in Middle East” held in Singapore, organized by Business Information Asia, and presenting a paper on the “Laws and Regulations on Foreign Investment in the Middle East – focusing on UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait”.
October 26, 2008: participating to a conference on “Middle East Debt Management & Credit Recovery” held in Dubai, organized by Marcus Evans, and presenting a paper on the “Furthering Debt Recovery Through Cost Effective Litigation Process in the Middle East”.
Columnist at the Property Weekly Magazine, publishing articles bimonthly: “Real Estate Policies in the UAE”, “UAE Legal Framework”, “Arbitration in Construction Contracts”, “Real Estate Development and Financial Markets”, “Timeshare in the UAE”, “Challenges Facing the Real Estate Market”, “New Dubai Property Law a Key Cornerstone” …
Language Capabilities
He is fluent in Arabic, French and English.