Commercial

Alpha Advocates and Legal Consultants Corporate Commercial practice is a market leader in the region and offers the full spectrum of corporate commercial services.  The Corporate Commercial team is ranked Band One in several independent legal directories and a number of our team are highlighted as leading lawyers by the Legal 500, Chambers and Partners and other legal directories.

One aspect of our Corporate Commercial team that differentiates Al Tamimi is that our Dubai based Commercial practice is able to provide bespoke advice to our clients on a wide array of business and commercial arrangements needed in their day-to-day operations in the UAE.

Specialist advice on commercial agency arrangements

As well as general commercial advice and contract drafting, our Commercial team is known for providing specialist advice on commercial agency arrangements. This includes all types of distribution and franchise arrangements, and we frequently address important legal issues surrounding the impact of local commercial agencies legislation in the UAE on such arrangements.

We provide advice on all types of franchise arrangements in the UAE, including on franchise network structuring, IP protection, product distribution and the most appropriate contractual framework that suits our client’s needs. We also work closely with local regulatory authorities in the UAE to ensure that all statutory and practice related issues are accounted for when advising clients on franchise roll-outs, whether locally or regionally. We are regularly instructed by global multinational companies, many of whom are household names.

Deep understanding of the legal and regulatory environment

Our overall strength lies in the depth of our understanding and knowledge of the UAE legal and regulatory environment which, coupled with our strong relationships with the various local regulatory authorities, allows our Commercial team to stay abreast of new developments and practices in the UAE market. This enables us to provide accurate, cost-effective, practical and commercially pragmatic advice and guidance to our clients in order to ensure that their legal and business goals and objectives are met.

Our clients are assured of effective and successful outcomes that are workable in the UAE thanks to this expertise coupled with our ability to deliver legal services to international standards.

The Commercial team’s core areas of expertise:

• Commercial agreements including drafting and negotiating all types of commercial agreements including Terms and Conditions of Procurement and Sale; Sale and Purchase Agreements; Consultancy Agreements; Rebate Agreements; Introducer and Referral Agreements; Commission Arrangements; Outsourcing Agreements; Lease, Hire and Maintenance Agreements; NDAs; MOUs; LOIs; and Manufacturing & Supply Agreements.
• Commercial agency agreements, including drafting and negotiating distribution and full suite franchise agreements across all sectors.
• General commercial advisory services including opinion work on commercial agency laws and regulations in the UAE.

Examples of our corporate commercial work

• Advising a global supplier of solar energy panels and products on its distribution agreement with local partners in the UAE and the wider GCC region.  The matter involved a complex rebate and market segmentation clause.
• Advising a US market leading producer of mattresses and sleeping products on its proposed franchise arrangements in the UAE and the wider GCC including advising on commercial agency considerations, risks and structure of such arrangements suitable for an international investor.
• Advising a well-known jewellery brand from West Asia on its franchise arrangements in the UAE and the GCC including drafting its franchise and distribution agreements with its franchisee.  Our advice included advising on its development plan for the GCC and the commercial agency structure of the proposed franchise business.
• Advising a large UAE family business on its proposed distributor arrangement with a multi-national Chinese car manufacturer including providing advice on UAE commercial agencies laws and proposed structuring for the arrangement.
• Advising a large tobacco manufacturer and distributor of its arrangements with local suppliers including drafting template supplier agreements with local distributors.
• Advising a Japanese glass manufacturing conglomerate on the termination of its distribution and agency arrangements in the UAE as well as advising on UAE commercial agency laws.