Clyde & Co has an extensive and proven track record of advising on a wide range of issues for many of the region's largest family-owned organisations.

Over recent years family-owned businesses in the Middle East have continued to experience exponential growth and success, with many having evolved into large and complex multinational conglomerates with an ever-increasing need for the best legal advice.

We recognise that no two family businesses are alike and seek to have conversations with our clients to ascertain “where they’re going” both regionally and globally, as well as to understand the commercial realities of their business. We are adept at providing advice that balances the interests of the business, the family and the individuals within it and as such, we are able to build long-lasting relationships with our clients and become their trusted advisors.

Our expertise includes advising on:

• Succession planning
• Structuring & restructuring  
• Corporate governance
• Mergers & acquisitions
• Commercial agencies
• Employment & HR 
• Disputes & litigation
• Data protection & privacy
• Tax & trusts
• Real estate
• Intellectual property

Key Contacts 

Podcasts

Our Family Business work

• Advising a multi-billion dollar GCC based family conglomerate in respect of its strategic restructuring, diversification and corporatisation program, which included the creation of private joint stock companies, and the implementation of a complex series of other corporate vehicles in order to implement a family succession plan.
  
  
• Advising a prominent UAE family business on all aspects of a major acquisition, including carrying out a detailed buyer due diligence, drafting and negotiating the SPA to signing, negotiating the Disclosure Letter, drafting and negotiating all condition precedent documentation (including a retention letter) and processing the share transfer before all relevant government authorities.
  
  
•  Advising on a complex group reorganisation in the FMCG sector, including cross border intragroup share transfers; customs, import and export issues; distribution and agency agreements; corporate restructuring; and a range of associated employment, real estate and other issues.
  
  
• Acting in relation to a confidential / private matter in the DIFC Courts involving a family wealth management / transfer dispute under DIFC law trust arrangements. Including advising on trust termination, injunctive relief and alleged incapacity issues.
  
  
• Advising a family-owned real estate and retail conglomerate on data protection compliance, including developing internal and customer-facing policies, conducting data privacy impact assessments on new technology initiatives, and advising on the use and intra-group sharing of a customer database.
  
  
• Drafting HR policies for a partially listed regional conglomerate in line with best international practice, ISO guidelines and regional legal compliance requirements.
  
  
• Advising a UAE based family business with interests in automotive, real estate, retail, logistics, IT, travel and consultancy on its global brand protection strategy, including filing and registering trade marks in 30+ countries
  
  
• Representing a leading regional family-owned contractor against a specialist subcontractor, and leading local manufacturer, in relation to a dispute over losses exceeding AED 10 million