Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.’s global disputes practice is expanding in Dubai with the addition of three lawyers.
Philip Punwar joins Fulbright’s Dubai office as a partner from Al Tamimi & Company’s DIFC office. Fulbright London Partner Jonathan Sutcliffe, who has been supporting the firm’s Middle East practice for much of the past year, will move full-time to the firm’s Dubai office later this summer. Associate Shea Haass joins the Dubai team from Fulbright’s Dallas office.
“As we grow our global disputes presence, Philip’s concentration on UAE and regional disputes nicely complements the team we have on the ground,” said Steven B. Pfeiffer, the Chair of Fulbright’s Executive Committee. “Having a strong team of experienced disputes and arbitration lawyers in the region is key as the economic landscape shifts, prompting new disputes.”
Punwar, who was called to the English Bar in 1989, has significant trial experience in the DIFC Court of First Instance and has also appeared in the DIFC Court of Appeal. As a member of the DIFC Court Users’ Committee, Punwar has been involved in the development of the Courts since 2005. Most recently, he was Chairman of the sub-committee responsible for drafting The Code of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners in the DIFC Court, which was released in May 2009.
Punwar also has a substantial commercial arbitration practice as both counsel and arbitrator. In addition to being a member of the DIFC Arbitration Law 2008 Steering Committee, Punwar has been extensively involved in initiatives to introduce a standalone UAE Arbitration Law. Since 2008, he has been recommended for arbitration and dispute resolution in Chambers Global; The Legal 500; The International Who’s Who of Commercial Arbitration; Who’s Who Legal UAE and the PLC Cross-border Dispute Resolution Handbook.
“Philip is a good fit for our Middle East practice as we continue to build our global disputes practice with additional talent, such as Philip, Jonathan and Shea in Dubai, and Rod Lambert in our London office,” said Stephen C. Dillard, the Chair of Fulbright’s Global Disputes Practice. “We have brought together a very experienced and knowledgeable team in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, where our lawyers stand ready to assist clients through these challenging times and have the experience necessary to handle everything from energy and construction disputes to the most complex of arbitrations.”
Sutcliffe brings significant experience in international arbitration and dispute resolution. He has acted for numerous clients on a diverse range of international commercial arbitration, ADR and litigation matters in the construction, energy, defense, insurance and international joint venture sectors and on investor-state disputes. Sutcliffe also sits as an arbitrator and is recognized for international arbitration by various leading legal guides, including Chambers UK 2009, which described Sutcliffe as “a well-rounded strategic and technical practitioner.” Chambers Europe 2008 described him as “an extremely able practitioner who is highly rated by everyone he works with.” Sutcliffe is also noted for his international arbitration work by Legal 500 UK and Legal 500 Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Haass works as part of Fulbright’s international team and has acted as project counsel to a multi-national contractor on construction projects in Dubai and is representing a multi-national engineering and construction firm in Qatar. In the U.S., he has represented international and domestic corporations in the construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, pharmaceutical and medical services sectors in federal and state court, as well as arbitration proceedings.
Meanwhile, Lambert, who recently joined the firm’s London office, has defended numerous dawn raids in various jurisdictions and represented clients in parallel investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the European Commission. He handles compliance issues, merger control and both contentious and non-contentious competition law. His knowledge of the oil, gas and energy sectors extends to advising on upstream collaboration in exploration licensing, pipeline access and pricing methodology.
“Fulbright offered an excellent fit given its highly-regarded arbitration practice, international presence and the long history and deep ties the lawyers working in the firm’s Middle East practice have in the region and within the energy industry,” Punwar said. “Fulbright has a strong reputation when it comes to disputes and arbitration. I am honored to become part of such distinguished team.”
Chambers Global, Chambers USA, Chambers UK, Chambers Latin America, Chambers Europe and The Legal 500 recently cited Fulbright’s arbitration lawyers for their work and the practice’s roots in the energy industry. Global Arbitration Review’s “GAR 100 – The Guide to Specialist Arbitration Firms” named Fulbright to its prestigious GAR 30 for 2009, recognizing it as one of the top arbitration law firms in the world for a second year in a row.
“'Truly an impressive group,' Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. demonstrates an 'ability to handle complex international arbitration with exceptional skill and client communication,'” The Legal 500 researchers wrote, adding that clients point to Fulbright’s “understanding of various country’s laws and the legal procedures surrounding each action, with an ability to anticipate potential events to protect the client and prevent possible future disputes. Providing a 'balanced and objective assessment of the situation at hand,' the team receives top recommendations from clients.”
The Middle East team has been built lawyer-by-lawyer, said John Lonsberg, the head of Fulbright’s Middle East practice. “Philip is just the latest to join our team, bringing his knowledge of the DIFC courts,” he said. “Our Middle East team, which includes trail blazers such as accomplished Shari’ah compliant transactions practitioner Michael McMillen, brings the skill, knowledge of the legal landscape and decades of on-the-ground experience.”
