The firm’s highly rated UAE construction team, which advises on projects of all types and sizes, particularly real estate (including commercial, industrial, and mixed-used developments) and public-private partnerships, has also been shortlisted recently for the Chambers Middle East Awards, taking place in March. Reed Smith’s construction team won that same award in 2022.

The team was ranked in the recently released Chambers Global 2024 guide, in which partner Michelle Nelson also earned a top Band 1 ranking for UAE Construction: Dispute Resolution. Partner Sachin Kerur was ranked in two categories, UAE Construction: Dispute Resolution and UAE Construction: Non-contentious. The Legal 500 EMEA 2023 ranked the team in Band 1 for UAE Construction, with Kerur and Nelson ranked in the Hall of Fame.

Matthew Harley is a senior associate in Reed Smith’s commercial disputes team, based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, who focuses on disputes relating to the Middle East and Africa. He represents individuals, corporates, states and state entities in arbitrations in industry sectors including energy, oil and gas, hospitality, real estate and construction. Harley is also deputy lead of Reed Smith’s Africa arbitration team. As the former Acting Registrar at the DIFC-LCIA, he uses his experience to craft bespoke procedures for each dispute, ensuring that his clients are optimally placed to achieve their goals.

The list of finalists can be found on The Middle East Legal Awards website. The awards ceremony will be held on 25 April at the Conrad Dubai.