Awards Shortlists 2025

We are proud to unveil the highly anticipated shortlist for the 2025 LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards.

Following a rigorous evaluation process, an outstanding group of legal professionals and organisations has emerged — recognised for exceptional leadership, innovation, and impact across the legal sector. These shortlisted nominees represent the very best of the region’s legal community, driving progress, setting new standards, and shaping the future of the profession.

Join us on 21 May 2026 in Dubai as we celebrate their achievements at an unforgettable awards ceremony. Secure your seat and be part of an evening dedicated to excellence and distinction.

Connect with industry leaders, honour remarkable accomplishments, and experience a night that showcases the strength and ambition of the Middle East’s legal sector.

Stay tuned for further announcements as we count down to this prestigious event.

Arbitration Team of the Year

Alaidarous Advocates and Legal Consultants
Al Tamimi & Company
Alsuwaidi & Company LLC
Essa Al Sulaiti Law Firm
Hadef & Partners
Hamdan Al Shamsi Lawyer and Legal
Consultants
Herbert Smith Freehills
Primecase
Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners
Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Banking & Finance Team of the Year

Afridi & Angell
Al Tamimi & Company
Covington
Crowell & Moring LLP
Greenberg Traurig (GT)
Hadef & Partners
Hourani & Partners
K&L Gates LLP
Reed Smith
Stephenson Harwood

Best Workplace for Lawyers (Law Firm)

BSA Law
DWF Middle East LLP (Doha, UAE & KSA)
Greenberg Traurig (GT)
Hadef & Partners
Hadi Alalawi & Partners
Khalid Nassar & Partners Law Firm
Mohammed Al Dahbashi Advocates LLC t/a ADG Legal
NeosLegal
Oryx Legal Consultants LLC
Saoud Al Mahri Advocates & Legal Consultants

Commercial Litigation Team of the Year

Afridi & Angell
Al Tamimi & Company
BSA Law
Dar Almuhama Law Firm
Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
M&CO Legal
OGH Legal
Stephenson Harwood
Z&Co.

Construction Team of the Year

Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG)
DWF LLP
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
Reed Smith
Trowers & Hamlins LLP

Corporate-Commercial Team of the Year

Al Tamimi & Company
Baker McKenzie
Batic Law Firm
Hadef & Partners
Herbert Smith Freehills
Khalid Nassar & Partners Law Firm
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
PwC Legal Middle East LLP
Sultan Al- Abdulla & Partners
Taylor Wessing

Employment Team of the Year

Al Tamimi & Company
Alsuwaidi & Company LLC
BSA Law
Clyde & Co
Dentons Middle East
Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants
Gateley Middle East
Hamdan Al Shamsi Lawyer and Legal Consultants LLC
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
KBH Limited

Energy & Infrastructure Team of the Year

Al Tamimi & Company
Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG)
Bracewell Dubai
BSA Law
Covington
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
K&L Gates LLP
Primecase
PwC Legal Middle East LLP

Law Firm of the Year – Saudi Arabia

Al Tamimi & Company
Al-Salamah Law Firm
Batic Law Firm
Clyde & Co
Greenberg Traurig Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm
Veritas Law Firm
Z&Co.

Law Firm of the Year – Qatar

Al Majd Law Firm
Al Sulaiti Law Firm
Al Tamimi & Company
Clyde & Co
Crowell & Moring LLP
DWF LLP
Essa Al Sulaiti Law Firm
K&L Gates LLP
Mashael Alsulaiti Legal Advocacy & Arbitration
Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners

Law Firm of the Year – Bahrain

Al Doseri Law
Al Tamimi & Company
ASAR – Al Ruwayeh and Partners
Hadi Alalawi & Partners
Zeenat Al Mansoori & Associates

Law Firm of the Year – UAE

Afridi & Angell
Al Tamimi & Company
Clyde & Co LLP
Gateley Middle East
Gowling WLG
Hadef & Partners
Hourani & Partners
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
NeosLegal
Oryx Legal Consultants LLC

Law Firm of the Year – GCC

Al Tamimi & Company
Clyde & Co LLP
DWF LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
PwC Legal Middle East LLP
Trowers & Hamlins LLP
Wefaq Law Firm

Law Firm of the Year – Kuwait

Al Tamimi & Company
Al-Hossam Legal – Al-Turqi & Partners
Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG)
ASAM – AlSarraf, AlMutawa & Partners
ASAR – Al Ruwayeh and Partners
Dr. Yaqoub Al Sanea & Partners
Wefaq Law Firm

Managing Partner of the Year

Ali Al Zarooni (Horizons & Co Law Firm)
Amir Kordvani (PwC Legal Middle East)
Charbel Maakaron (Crowell & Moring LLP)
Chadi Hourani (Hourani & Partners)
Irina Heaver (NeosLegal)
Khalid A. Al-Thebity (Greenberg Traurig Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm)
Sara Khoja (Clyde & Co LLP)
Vanessa Abernethy (Oryx Legal Consultants)
Yaman Al Hawamdeh (Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW))
Yousef Al Sanea (Dr. Yaqoub Alsanea & Partners)

Maritime & Transport Team of the Year

Al Tamimi & Company
Alsuwaidi & Company LLC
Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants
Hamdan Al Shamsi Lawyer and Legal Consultants LLC
Holman Fenwick Willan Law Firm (HFW)
Watson Farley & Williams (Middle East) LLP

Real Estate Team of the Year

Al-Salamah Law Firm
Alsuwaidi & Company LLC
Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group (YFLG)
Baker McKenzie
Batic Law Firm
Dentons Middle East
Galadari Advocates & Legal Consultants
Greenberg Traurig (GT)
Hadef & Partners
Z&Co.

Senior Associate of the Year

Abdulla Saeed Al Roken (ADG Legal)
Abdulkareem AlGharaballi (Al Yaqout and Al Fouzan Legal Group)
Amelia Bowring (Bracewell Dubai)
Alla Melnichenko (NeosLegal)
Andrew El-Khoury (Herbert Smith Freehills LLP)
Cameron James Busch (Covington & Burling LLP)
Jas Shoker (Simmons & Simmons Middle East LLP)
Lewis Calder (Greenberg Traurig – GT)
Manali Sangoi (Hadef & Partners)
Timofey Neklyudov (Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP)

Tax Team of the Year

Al Tamimi & Company
Amereller
ASAR – Al-Ruwayeh & Partners
Habib Al Mulla and Partners
Hadef & Partners
Hourani & Partners
Mashael Alsulaiti Legal Advocacy & Arbitration
Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners

Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Team of the Year

Al Doseri Law
BSA Law
Greenberg Traurig (GT)
Gowling WLG (UK) LLP (Dubai Branch)
Hadef & Partners
Reed Smith
Simmons & Simmons Middle East LLP
Stephenson Harwood
Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners
Taylor Wessing

Trial Advocacy Excellence Award

ADG Legal
Alsuwaidi & Company LLC
Jamal Al Amri Advocates and Legal Consultants
Mashael Alsulaiti Legal Advocacy & Arbitration
Sultan Al-Abdulla & Partners
Zeenat Al Mansoori & Associates

Best Workplace for Lawyers (In-House)

Al Hamra Group LLC
Aldar Properties PJSC
Bahrain Network (BNET)
Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) Legal & Corporate Affair
Gulf Bank KSCP
Nesma & Partners Contracting Company UJSC
Qatar Airways Group QCSC
RAYNE

General Counsel of the Year (Large team)

Brooke Lindsay (e&)
Daniela Bartolo (Careem Technologies)
Dr. Fawaz Alawadhi (Alghanim Industries Group)
Dr. Osama Issag Alhaj (Dubai Islamic Bank)
Emma O’Brien (Aldar Properties PJSC)
Krishan Sinnadurai (Qatar Airways)
Majed Abdullah Alshabana (Etihad Etisalat (Mobily))
Mohamed Rateb Amro (Agthia Group PJSC)

General Counsel of the Year (Small team)

Ahmed Zaki (Al Hamra Group LLC)
Cristina Amate Munoz (Beumer Group Middle East)
Daniel Abela (Alef Education Holding plc)
Fadi Kilani (Drake & Scull International PJSC)
Georges Abi Saab (Ooredoo Group)
Rita El Helou (Lesha Bank LLC (Public))
Roula Khaled (Khazna Data Centers)
Sachin Ramachandran Nair (Al Seer Marine Supplies & Equipment Company PJSC)
Shaun Johnson (BEEAH Group)
Faisal Fawaz Al-Alamy (MDL Beast)

Government Lawyer of the Year

Amr (Wageeh) Elsayed (Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority – KDIPA)
Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim (Primary Health Care Corporation)
Sanaz Javadi Farahzadi (United Kingdom Government)
Umar Azmeh (QICDRC)

Government Legal Team of the Year

Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT)
Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority (DMCC)
Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation – Dubai

In-House Team of the Year (Large Team)

Agthia Group PJSC
Alghanim Industries Group
Aldar Properties PJSC
Careem Technologies
Dubai Islamic Bank
DHL Group
e& (formerly Etisalat Group)
Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily) Legal & Corporate Affair
Panther Media Group (as the holding group for OSNtv, OSN+ and Anghami)
Qatar Airways Group QCSC

In-House Team of the Year (Small Team)

Al Hamra Group LLC
Al Seer Marine Supplies & Equipment Co PJSC
Alef Education Holding plc
Bahrain Network (BNET)
BEEAH Group
Khazna Data Centers
MDLBEAST
Siemens Ltd., Saudi Arabia
Tadmur Holding
Takeda Pharmaceuticals FZE

Legal Counsel of the Year

Attila Hunter (BETIKA / ADG)
Hussein Salama (BESIX GROUP)
Jean Raffoul (Alghanim Industries Group)
Layla El-Wafi (Standard Chartered Bank)
Maimoona Nalkhande (DP World)
Moayad AlSuwaidan (Gulf Bank K.S.C.P.)
Mohammad Mian (Khazna Data Centers)
Mohammed Ali Alzogaibi (Etihad Etisalat (Mobily))
Soukeina Awdeh (Tadmur Holding)
Tarek Sorour (NG9 Holding LLC)

AI Legal Innovator of the Year

Careem Technologies
Etihad Etisalat (Mobily)
Greenberg Traurig (GT)
NeosLegal
PwC Legal Middle East LLP
Simmons & Simmons
Sports City Enterprises LLC (subsidiary of Aspire Zone Foundation Qatar)

Arbitrator of the Year

Ayesha Sultan
Dr. Aseel Zimmo (The First Link)
Dr. Emad Hussein
Dr. Hassan Arab (Al Tamimi & Company)
Dr. Mahmood Hussain Ali Ahmad (M&CO Legal)
Magda Kofluk (Stephenson Harwood)
Saad Al Doseri (Al Doseri Law)

Independent Expert of the Year

Dr. Ahmad Alshorbagy (Al-Yaqout & Al-Fouzan Legal Group – YFLG)
Mohamed Ghofrane (Parley Parsons)
Saad Hegazy (Resolve)

For Sponsorship Opportunities, Contact:

Malini Dean

Events Manager
Email ID: malini.dean@lexisnexis.com
Contact No.: +971 58 8249821