Energy & Natural Resources
Leonard is a Partner, based in Dubai, specialising in international arbitration and litigation.
Direct Lines
+971 4 384 4311 +971 56 226 8309 leonard.soudagar@clydeco.comMain Office
Dubai
+ 971 4 384 4000 + 971 4 384 4004Regional experience
Full Profile
Ranked as a “Rising Star” and described as a “standout individual” by Legal 500, Leonard has a broad commercial disputes practice and is entrusted by clients to represent and advise them in their most difficult, sensitive and complex matters.
His practice is focused on:
- Arbitration and Commercial Litigation – representing multi-national and domestic corporate clients across various sectors in complex (and often multi-jurisdictional) disputes arising from corporate transactions, joint ventures and a whole range of commercial agreements, as well as shareholder disputes, fraud and asset recovery.
- Commodities – representing producers, traders and banks in contentious matters relating to the supply, financing and transportation of commodities across agriculture/food, chemicals, energy, minerals and metals.
- Energy – representing NOCs, international contractors, traders and service providers in disputes relating to exploration and production activities, construction and engineering, trading and supply, and transportation and distribution across oil & gas and green energies.
- Marine and Logistics – representing shipyards, shipowners, charterers, ports, logistics companies and marine service providers in contentious matters.
- Insurance – representing marine insurers in hull, cargo and liability claims.
Leonard is the lead partner in the Middle East for Commodities and Marine (insurance and non-insurance).
He regularly represents clients in international arbitration, having acted in arbitrations seated in London, Dubai (and the DIFC), Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Singapore, Hong Kong, Texas, New York and Zurich under the rules of the ICC, LCIA, LMAA, DIAC, GCC-CAC, SCMA, HKIAC, AAA and UNCITRAL.
Leonard has extensive experience of litigation in the GCC, including particularly in the Courts of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) (a common law financial free zone in Dubai) and all levels of the 'onshore' civil law Courts in the UAE, as well as in cases before the Dubai World Tribunal and the High Court in London.
Given the international nature of Leonard's practice and client base, he regularly advises on disputes involving jurisdictional issues, conflicts of laws and applications for urgent injunctive/interim relief and for the enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards.
He advises on English and UAE law and works with lawyers in other jurisdictions in the region (and beyond), including particularly with our Riyadh office.
Experience
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Arbitration and Commercial Litigation
- Representing a listed real estate developer and a related UAE company in a c. USD 330m joint venture dispute arising out of a project to develop a luxury hotel in Dubai (LCIA, Singapore seat), including successful injunction proceedings in the DIFC Court.
- Representing contractors to the US DoD, UK MoD and NATO in claims against an international inter-governmental organisation, in a consolidated arbitration, for breach of four long-term contracts for the supply of fuel and food in East and West Africa (Permanent Court of Arbitration, UNCITRAL).
- Representing a multinational food and beverage company in a c. USD 40m shareholder dispute (LCIA, London seat).
- Representing a real estate financier in an investment dispute in excess of USD 500m (DIAC, Dubai seat).
- Representing a firm of architects and engineers in a c. USD 10m dispute arising out of a large construction project in Iran (ICC, Zurich seat).
- Representing a multinational direct-broadcast satellite provider in a USD 2.5m claim by a European satellite operator under a cooperation agreement (DIFC-LCIA, DIFC seat).
- Representing a hedge fund and other investors in disputes under JV and shareholders’ agreements subject to the laws of the DIFC, England, Norway, Singapore and the UAE.
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Commodities
- Representing an international commodities trader in a c. USD 30m claim against a part state owned European oil company for breach of a long-term supply contract (LCIA, London seat).
- Representing a trader in a c. USD 60m crude oil dispute concerning allegations of fraud and misdelivery.
- Representing a trade finance bank in a USD 20m claim in the DIFC Courts under personal guarantees in relation to the collapse of a soft commodities trader.
- Representing a GCC government-owned bank, which had provided trade finance to a commodities trader, in multiple arbitrations with a total value of c. USD 13m concerning the misdelivery of soft commodities in various jurisdictions (LMAA, London seat).
- Representing an international steel trading company in a claim for breach of a sale contract (HKIAC, Hong Kong seat).
- Representing a UAE based oil trading company in its claim for damages arising out of a contract for the sale of jet fuel (High Court, London).
- Representing a large Japanese corporation in relation to pursuing trade finance claims and bankruptcy proceedings in the UAE.
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Energy
- Representing a government entity in the Middle East in a c. USD 150m dispute under a long-term offtake agreement.
- Representing a contractor in a c. USD 15m claim against an oilfield operator for wrongful termination of an offshore drilling contract (ICC, Abu Dhabi seat).
- Representing a contractor in a dispute relating to a tidal energy project in West Africa (LMAA, London seat).
- Representing a leading classification society following a rig collapse with a potential exposure of c. USD 70m.
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Marine & Logistics
- Representing the owner of a shipyard in a c. USD 20m claim for damages for defective design under a design and build contract (DIAC, Dubai seat).
- Representing a disponent owner in a dispute with a national oil company under a COA concerning the alleged misappropriation of c. USD 5m of crude oil (LMAA, London seat).
- Representing a contractor in a c. USD 4m claim against a government entity under a long-term maintenance and repair agreement for a fibreoptic submarine cable system (GCC-CAC, Bahrain seat).
- Representing a national oil company and its insurers in a c. USD 9m dispute with a European shipyard concerning the defective design of a vessel (ICC, London seat).
- Representing a shipowner in a c. USD 40m delay dispute under a ship conversion contract for a cable laying vessel (DIAC, Dubai seat).
- Representing the buyer in a c. USD 20m claim concerning the termination of a shipbuilding contract.
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Insurance
- Representing Al Buhaira National Insurance Company in a landmark DIFC Court case concerning a USD 70m coverage dispute under hull and war policies arising out of the alleged disappearance of an oil tanker.
- Representing a UAE port operator (and its insurers) in proceedings before a Special Tribunal in relation to a USD 30m claim following a crane collapse.
- Representing various marine cargo and H&M insurers in coverage disputes and subrogated recovery claims.
- Representing various P&I Clubs in collisions and allisions.