Education:
*LLB - Shari’ah and Law, UAE University (UAE), 1998
*LLM - Commercial Law, Melbourne University (Australia), 2011

Languages:
*Arabic
*English

Experience:

Nasser Al Osaiba is the Managing Partner of the Abu Dhabi office of Global Advocacy and Legal Counsel. Practicing for over 18 years, Nasser has extensive experience in advising clients on banking and finance related matters and dispute resolution in the United Arab Emirates. Nasser received his Shari’ah and Law degree from the School of Law at the UAE University in Al Ain in 1998 and an LLM in Commercial Law from Melbourne University, Australia in 2011. He previously served as Head of the Legal Department of the National Bank of Umm Al Qwain and is experienced in advising clients on all legal aspects of banking, Islamic finance, project finance, UAE debt capital markets and international lending transactions. Nasser’s clients include local, regional and international banks, developers, government institutions and private entities. An experienced litigator, Nasser is licensed to appear before all courts of the UAE, including the Federal Supreme Court and the DIFC Courts and advises on a wide range of disputes. He has particular expertise in the field of construction – acting in disputes as well as advising clients on tender and project documentation and drafting and reviewing contracts.

Professional memberships, publications and speaking engagements

Nasser sits on the Board of Directors and is the Co-Chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the American Business Group of Abu Dhabi named AmCham. He is also a member of the Umm Al Qwain Rent Dispute Committee, on the Committee for Development appointed by the Ruler of Umm Al Qwain and an active member of the UAE Association for Lawyers. Nasser has published a number of articles and provides legal commentary and opinions in newspapers and magazines. He is regularly invited to speak as an expert at conferences and contribute to panel discussions.

With more than 36 years of experience as consultant and public accountant, Dr. Syed Qaiser Anis is consistently building and directing a highly dynamic team and advising local and international companies. Dr. Qaiser is a prominent and sought-after voice in accounting, auditing and consulting sectors.

Dr. Qaiser is a graduate of Business Administration in Karachi. He completed his Master and Doctorate (PhD) in Management Accounting in U.S.A.

He started his career at Price Waterhouse Coopers (A.F. Fergusson & Co.) in Pakistan for 6 years thereafter moved to KPMG Peat Marwick UAE as Manager for 2 years.

He is the Managing Director of Alliott Management Consulting (AMC) and a Managing Partner of Alliott Hadi Shahid, Chartered Accountants (AHS), both established in 1976 with offices in United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Afghanistan. AMC and AHS are member firms of Alliott Group - a worldwide alliance of independent accounting, law and consulting firms. Alliott Group has more than 160 member firms in some 60 countries.

Dr. Qaiser is a member of the Montana Society of Certified Public Accountants, fellow member of The Institute of International Financial Accountants of UK and British Institute of Management and The Institute of C.P.A., Ireland; Associate member of the American Management Association, New York; affiliated member of the Association of International Accountants, Institute of Financial Consultants, U.S.A., Association of Fraud Examiners, UAE Accountants and Auditors Association and also a member of Islamabad Stock Exchange, Pakistan.

He holds membership of various professional bodies. He is one of the founding members of American Business Group (AmCham) where he serves as one of the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee Chairman since its inception in 1996. He is one of the members of AmCham’s constitutional committee. He is also a former member of Abu Dhabi Council of Economic Development from 2008-2009.

Iftekharul is the Practice Leader of Fragomen’s Abu Dhabi office. He has been with the firm for more than 9 years and is responsible for managing the UAE inbound immigration team. He has extensive experience in UAE immigration policies and procedures, and leverages this knowledge to provide trusted immigration support to a diverse range of clients across numerous industries, from engineering to manufacturing. Iftekharul also maintains strong relationships with government authorities in the UAE and is relied upon to resolve particularly complex cases or roadblocks in immigration processes.

Iftekharul speaks English, Arabic, Urdu and Hindi.

Mr Laubach has been practicing as a legal consultant in the UAE since 1986. He advises on general corporate matters, contracts and government procurements, project finance, employment, and international trade controls.

Mr Laubach has been involved in numerous high monetary value financing and re-financing transactions. In addition, he provides specialised expertise regarding US, UN and other sanctions, boycotts and controls affecting exports to, investments in and transactions with certain designated countries and with regard to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other bribery prohibitions.

Since the late 1990s, Mr Laubach has been the author of the standard industry UAE law opinions on the various financial agreements used by the ICMA and the SLRC, enabling ICMA and SLRC members to enter into complex financial transactions with counterparties in the UAE.

Mr Laubach is well versed in all aspects of UAE and DIFC employment matters and assists clients in preparing employment documentation, and advises on compensation schemes, incentive schemes, confidentiality and non-compete clauses, and workforce reduction programmes. He assists with the employment aspects of mergers, acquisitions and other corporate restructurings, and handles contentious matters.

Recognised as 'Lexology Legal Influencer for Employment (Asia-Pacific) Q2 2020', by Lexology.

Commended as 'External Counsel of the Year 2017', by In-House Community.

Voted as 'External Counsel of the Year 2013' in Asian MENA Counsel's Corporate Asia & Middle East In-house Community Survey.

Head of department Charles Laubach 'brings a wealth of experience' when representing clients. He is active in a broad range of corporate restructurings and acquisitions. - Chambers Global

Charles Laubach is ‘a great all-rounder’ who is ‘one of those guys that you call up, give him three minutes, and he’s already getting things done.’ - Chambers Global

John McGowan, who is Of Counsel at Global, has lived and worked in Abu Dhabi for over two decades. Mr. McGowan’s clients include multinational corporations, energy companies, and local U.A.E. holding companies and contractors. He drafts, advises on and negotiates complex contracts. His principal focus is dispute resolution. He advises clients on the rules, procedures and laws applicable in U.A.E. arbitrations, as well as on “post-arbitration” enforcement proceedings including the New York Convention.

He serves as both an advocate and an arbitrator. Mr. McGowan has a B.A. in philosophy from Georgetown University; and a J.D. from Catholic University of America.

He is a founding member of the AmCham Abu Dhabi and the former Corporate Secretary & Head of Legal Affairs Committee of AmCham Abu Dhabi.

Hon. Oran F. Whiting (Ret.) is a consultant to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department of the United Arab Emeritus (ADJD), where he serves as a Judge in the Experts Chamber of the Major Court of First Instance, and as a judicial/law professor, training judges and attorneys. He also teaches aviation law as a Loyola University Chicago Law School Adjunct Law Professor.

Prior to ADJD, Judge Whiting served as an Illinois Supreme Court appointed Circuit Judge of Cook County in the County’s First Municipal Department, presiding over jury and bench trials in negligence and commercial litigation matters.

Before his judicial appointment, Judge Whiting was a 29 year law firm veteran. As a partner in several international law firms, Judge Whiting represented domestic and international clients in commercial and insurance defense litigation, and in government, regulatory affairs, and compliance matters. He successfully tried numerous commercial litigation and personal injury cases to verdict; drafted dozens of state and federal appellate court briefs; argued before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; and appeared in several state and federal jurisdictions via motions pro hac vice.

Judge Whiting has been: included in Leading Lawyers Magazine for his litigation and government services work; recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer; and featured in Crain’s Chicago Business for his representation of clients in large cases in Chicago.

As a member of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois’ Oversite Committee, Judge Whiting reviewed investigations for quality assurance identifying appealable issues.

Judge Whiting served as outside general counsel for Chicago’s Mercy Hospital responsible for a $2 million legal budget. As a governor appointed Illinois Court of Claims commissioner, he presided over 23 bench trials; and as an Illinois Secretary of State appointed hearing officer, he determined whether drivers with licenses under suspension for DUI qualified for license reinstatement.

Judge Whiting served as counsel to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives during the 89th Illinois General assembly, providing legal advice on and technical review of proposed legislation. Judge Whiting has served on several boards, including the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and the Board of Trustees of the Francis W. Parker School. He has held several leadership positions in the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation, including executive editor of the American Bar Association’s Section of Litigation’s Litigation News Magazine, and co-chair of the Section’s Committee on Ethics and Professionalism. A prolific speaker and writer, Judge Whiting has authored more than 38 published articles on various legal issues.

Judge Whiting received his Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and a Bachelor of Arts degree in international business from the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Men’s Varsity Volleyball Team letterman, and became fluent in Spanish.

Yassin Yassin, CPA, ACCA is a senior finance advisor at Abu Dhabi Police – GHQ, Yassin provides support in the areas of financial accounting, government reporting, financial systems, decision
support, coordination with regulatory and audit authorities, VAT taxation, key management accounting and controllership, and training and development of local finance staff.

Yassin is fluent in Arabic and has had experience at the American Express Company in finance, project management, operations and business process reengineering. Yassin had managed a real
estate family in South Florida.

Yassin holds bachelor’s degrees in accounting and Mechanical Engineering, and Masters Degrees in Business Administration and Industrial Engineering.

Leslie Bellas is a consultant to RTI International and serves as a Director of AmCham Abu Dhabi board. She has been in the UAE for 10 years with her husband and two children.

Leslie worked with the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi to develop a framework for policy and regulations, and served on the Board of Trustees for the American Community School, chairing the Board for four years.

Leslie arrived from Washington, DC, where she was a lawyer representing U.S. industrial sectors and served in the U.S. Department of Justice. She is a graduate of Barnard College and Georgetown University Law Center.