Speakers during the event.
Doha: Crowell & Moring and the German Business Council Qatar (GBCQ) recently co-hosted an event on Qatar’s evolving dispute resolution landscape and its impact on strategically negotiating disputes clauses.
A presentation on ‘Dispute Resolution Clauses: Adding Value to Business Deals’ was delivered at the event, which took place at the W Hotel Doha, and was attended by lawyers from the firm’s Doha office.
The session was aimed at updating the attendees on the dispute resolution system in Qatar, as well as providing them with strategic tips for drafting powerful dispute resolution clauses.
Ilef Ajra, representative of the German Industry and Commerce Office (AHK), presented opening remarks on behalf of the German Business Council: “Disputes arise from time to time as part of doing business, and conflict resolution is a crucial skill that benefits professionals across all types of career paths. For businesses, it will be useful to know and understand methods of dispute resolution”.
Tarek Saad, senior counsel in Crowell’s Doha office, provided attendees with key analysis and factors to consider to gain value in a business deal transaction when drafting dispute resolution clauses in contracts, based on three decades of experience leading teams working on all aspects of resolving complex, typically high-value disputes for clients in the Middle East, Europe, Australia, the United States, and Canada.
“Many negotiators fail to obtain good value for their clients or companies in transactions because they give little to no attention to the dispute resolution scheme in their contract. This can end up costing businesses hundreds of thousands of dollars arguing with their counterparty about issues that don’t even concern the actual substance and merits of the dispute,” Saad told the group.
Based on his expereince handling complex and high-value national and international commercial litigation and arbitration proceedings, Tamim Momeni, a Doha-based associate, offered attendees an overview of various dispute resolution methods, including new institutions and services in Qatar. Momeni noted that “Qatar’s recent unveiling of new forums and laws for commercial dispute resolution will be welcomed by the business community as it provides parties with more choice and potentially more expeditious means for resolving their disputes”.
The lawyers also shed light on relevant case examples and practical advice for both lawyers and non-lawyers.
