Clyde & Co’s MEA employment team defended GSB Capital Ltd in a landmark case in the DIFC Courts

Clyde & Co’s Middle East & Africa (MEA) employment team has successfully defended its client, GSB Capital Ltd, in a landmark case in the DIFC Courts ((1) AES Middle East Insurance Broker LLC; (2) AES Financial Services (DIFC) Limited; and (3) AES Financial Services Limited v GSB Capital Limited - CFI-060-2023).

AES International brought multiple claims against GSB including unlawful inducement, breach of confidence, and conspiracy in connection with GSB’s recruitment of 4 employees from AES in 2022. The trial took place over 10 days in March 2025.

H.E. Justice Le Miere handed down his decision on 9 July 2025. In a 172-page judgment, the Court rejected every one of the allegations levelled at GSB Capital Limited and its founders, Ross Whatnall & Alison Whatnall.

Read the Court’s Amended Judgment

The Clyde & Co team was led by employment partner Ben Brown, with David True (Senior Associate), Stephen Doherty (Serle Court Chambers) and Patrick Tomison (Outer Temple Chambers).

Ben Brown said: “We are delighted for our clients, who have had to endure two years of hard-fought litigation against claimants who went to extraordinary lengths to try and stifle legitimate competition. The judgment fully vindicates our client and shows that proceedings ought never to have been commenced against them. We were right to fight these claims every step of the way. This case is yet another example of our position as the go-to firm for high stakes employment litigation in the region”.

Clyde & Co has a dedicated award-winning MEA team of specialist employment lawyers advising businesses across the region. Named Employment Team of the Year at the Oath Middle East Awards 2023, and highly ranked in Chambers Global and Legal 500, its employment specialists assist regional and multinational clients with the full range of issues which arise in the workplace on a day-to-day basis, including: workforce and regulatory investigations; disputes and labour court litigation; employment issues arising out of corporate restructurings, outsourcings and mergers and acquisitions; recruitment issues and complying with workforce nationalisation requirements; immigration requirements; employment documentation; entitlements under local labour laws; training on applicable local labour laws; employee relations issues; termination of employment and handling disciplinary issues; and post-termination issues such as enforcing restrictive covenants and protecting confidential information and employment litigation.

The MEA employment team strive to empower employers with tools for managing employment law intricacies: Law at Work is an innovative electronic platform which provides comprehensive insights, analyses, and resources to allow employers and legal professionals to navigate the intricate landscape of employment law in the UAE, KSA and Qatar.

With over 35 years of experience in MEA, Clyde & Co is one of the largest international law firms with over 80 partners and over 540 staff operating through 12 offices and associated offices in Abu Dhabi, Accra, Cairo, Cape Town, Dar es Salaam, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kumasi, Nairobi, and Riyadh. Clyde & Co supports international and local organisations throughout the wider region with a full-service offering of local specialists across most business sectors and services of law, including commercial, commercial disputes, corporate, cyber risk, data protection & privacy, employment & immigration, finance, global recoveries, insolvency & reorganisation, intellectual property, international arbitration, projects & construction, real estate, regulatory & investigations, and technology, outsourcing & data.