About
The firm: Fenwick Elliott is the largest specialist construction law firm in the UK serving international clients in the building, engineering and energy sectors, including oil, gas and power. The firm provides commercially driven solutions through a pragmatic and professional approach. Fenwick Elliott provides a comprehensive range of legal services on every aspect of the construction process. Its expertise includes procurement strategy; contract documentation and negotiation; risk management and dispute avoidance; project support; and decisive dispute resolution, including litigation, arbitration, mediation and adjudication. Fenwick Elliott has extensive experience advising on major construction, infrastructure and energy projects in the Middle East. The firm has worked with clients for many years on projects in the region, including in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Yemen. Reflecting the importance of the Middle East market for the firm, it opened its first office in the region in 2015 in Dubai, UAE. Fenwick Elliott has extensive experience advising on major construction, infrastructure and energy projects in the Middle East. We have worked with our clients for many years on projects in the region, including in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, UAE and Yemen. Serving our Middle East clients locally – Dubai office: Reflecting the importance of the Middle East market for our firm, we opened our first office in the region in 2015, in Dubai, UAE, headed by Ahmed Ibrahim. The office continues to build on our many years’ experience advising clients on construction and energy projects in the region and is now our international hub. Our expertise in the Middle East: What sets Fenwick Elliott apart from our competitors, is the unique combination of extensive knowledge of local laws and court practices in Arab countries, together with our highly regarded international construction law expertise. As well as offering project support, contract and documentation, dispute avoidance and dispute resolution services. We have extensive experience in handling arbitration proceedings either seated in the region or applying the substantive law of any Arab country. We also support our clients on state court litigations including; on substitutive disputes, judicial supervision and support of arbitral proceedings, and ratification or enforcement of domestic and foreign arbitration awards. ### Areas of practice Dispute avoidance and dispute resolution: Fenwick Elliott is highly experienced in this field and is a leader in the use of alternative dispute resolution. Whilst the firm takes whatever steps are necessary to resolve disputes, its primary focus is to avoid disputes and much of its work is in the form of day to day project support, including strategic advice and review of project correspondence/notices to enable its clients to manage and effectively address problems as they arise, thereby avoiding formal proceedings. The firm regularly advises upon and conducts complex international arbitrations. It has experience of arbitrations under the DIAC, ADCCAC, QICCA, ICC, LCIA, SIAC, UNCITRAL and ICSID arbitration rules, as well as under ad hoc and bespoke arbitration rules. The firm is used to working closely with in-house counsel and local counsel. The team is also well versed in FIDIC and other dispute resolution boards’ procedures. The majority of the firm’s work in this field concerns disputes up to $2bn arising out of major international construction, infrastructure and energy projects. The geographical spread of the firm’s work is worldwide. It has developed a close relationship with a number of major international contractors whom it is advising on a number of disputes and strategic matters throughout the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. The firm also traces assets and seeks enforcement around the world in respect of international arbitration awards and makes calls on bonds or guarantees in many jurisdictions. Procurement strategy, project, contract and documentation advice: Fenwick Elliott’s expertise in construction projects documentation covers standard form and bespoke contracts; design and build; engineer, procure and construct/turnkey (EPC); joint venture agreements; partnering; alliancing and framework agreements; and service/supply contracts.
Office locations
Dubai
Dubai
Fenwick Elliott LLP Office 1a (First Floor), Silver Tower Cluster I Po Box 283149 Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai Dubai United Arab Emirates
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
Gilbert Hakim
Gilbert provides advice in relation to complex and high value disputes throughout the construction, real estate and oil & gas sectors. He has experience in acting for various members of the construction and engineering supply chain including Main Contractors, Subcontractors and Engineers/Designers where he has particular expertise. Gilbert is frequently instructed to advise on high-value disputes related to major construction and energy projects. He has significant experience representing employers, main contractors, subcontractors, and designers across a wide range of projects in the Middle East and Africa, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and various countries in East Africa. Gilbert has represented clients in arbitrations governed by the rules of leading institutions such as the ADGM, DIAC, ICC, LCIA, SCCA, and the European Development Fund. He has comprehensive knowledge of all major international standard form construction contracts, including FIDIC and NEC, and he regularly provides training on these contracts to clients and industry professionals. Legal 500 recognises Gilbert as “a very practical construction specialist” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2024) with “in-depth knowledge” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2025). · Construction
Leonie Sellers
Leonie is a dual qualified lawyer specialising in international arbitration, with a particular focus on contentious construction, energy, and infrastructure projects. Based in the Middle East for over 10 years, Leonie has acted for and advised both local and international companies on a range of complex construction and infrastructure disputes and has extensive experience in advancing and defending claims under the ICC, LCIA, DIAC, ADCCAC and UNCITRAL rules, as well as in the enforcement of arbitral awards in the local courts. In addition to her experience in construction disputes, Leonie has broad experience in non-contentious construction, infrastructure, and energy related matters. In addition to her years spent in private practice, Leonie has also spent time as in-house counsel for a leading developer of water and power projects, and most recently as a seconded interim general counsel for a multinational conglomerate. Leonie has been described in Legal 500 EMEA as showcasing a “solid mastery of construction and commercial law” (Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation, 2022) and as “excellent, with a strong work ethic, excellent with clients, good on detail and not afraid to be firm with experts and opponents when the occasion calls for it. An excellent lawyer and a star for the future: one to watch” (Construction, 2021). · International Arbitration
Nicholas Gould
Nicholas is an international specialist arbitration, construction and engineering lawyer. Nicholas conducts a mix of international dispute resolution and projects work. Nicholas acts for contractors, employers and governments in a wide range of technically complex construction sectors internationally including: energy, infrastructure, rail and metro, communications, industrial, waste, water, desalination, process plant, oil and gas, and petrochemical, as well as defects, collapse and fire safety. Advising on numerous power projects around the world, he has advised in relation to Europe’s largest gas combined-cycle power plant, as well as on nuclear (new and old), oil, coal, hydro, offshore wind farm, biomass, solar and innovative ocean current projects and data centres. Nicholas’ dispute resolution experience spans litigation, arbitration, adjudication, DAB/DRB/DAAB, mediation, early neutral evaluation and expert determination. His FIDIC experience is wide ranging including acting as a special adviser to FIDIC in respect of its 2017 edition contracts and in 2021 he was the FIDIC Adjudicator of the Year. Nicholas’ contract experience includes NEC, IChemE, JCT, MF/1, LOGIC, bespoke EPC/EPCM and PFI/PPP contracts. Nicholas is frequently selected to work on high value complex projects, including advising BAA in respect of T5 (£4.2 billion), the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, Expo 2020 in Dubai, CERN’s nuclear research facility, and the world’s most leaning building at Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi. In the Legal 500 he is listed in the Hall of Fame for International Arbitration and has been described by clients as “eloquent” and having “excellent advocacy skills”. The directory has also recognised him for being “extremely good – he is very convincing during hearings at drilling down the issues to the core”. Nicholas is Visiting Professor at King’s College London and a vice president of the ICC’s Arbitration Commission (past chairman, Standing Sub-Committee ICC’s International Centre for Expertise 2007–14). He is past president of the DRBF and past chairman of the Society of Construction Law. He has been published widely in the field of construction law and dispute resolution. · International Arbitration
Patrick Stone
Patrick has significant experience of construction and engineering disputes on major international projects, with a particular focus on the Middle East where he has spent a large part of his career. Patrick specialises in International Arbitration and has worked on disputes relating to projects in a number of jurisdictions including the UK, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Iraq, Egypt, South Africa and Madagascar and has acted on arbitrations being heard pursuant to ICC, LCIA, DIAC and ADCCAC rules. Patrick is familiar with a number of standard form construction contracts including FIDIC and NEC, and has acted on disputes arising out of bespoke forms of contract, particularly EPC contracts. Legal 500 lists Patrick as a recommended lawyer for construction. They describe him as being “a hands-on leader with extensive experience in the Middle East and construction in particular” (Legal 500 EMEA, 2025) with a “clarity of view which brings comfort to his clients. He is adept at quickly scrutinizing complex issues and understands possible solutions. He displays empathy for his client and is adept at getting to the route of an argument offering sound judgements and proposing optional solutions and strategies.” They also note that he has “substantial experience in construction and engineering disputes. His strategic input on international arbitration matters is invaluable.” · Construction & Engineering