Tim is an English and Irish-qualified Associate at KN Law where his practice encompasses a mix of corporate work and general commercial matters (including employment law and intellectual property law). Tim has over eight years of legal experience with the majority of that experience in the United Arab Emirates.

Prior to joining KN Law, Tim trained at Clyde & Co in Dubai, where he gained experience from a variety of departments, namely, Corporate Insurance, Corporate, Construction Arbitration, Aviation Finance, Employment, Intellectual Property, Technology Media Telecommunications, General Commercial, and completed a secondment with Sacoor Brothers. Tim also spent several years as a paralegal at Pinsent Masons (construction arbitration) in Dubai, Arnold & Porter (commercial arbitration) in London, and Freshfields (commercial arbitration) in London.

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE 

Employment

  • Advised multiple clients on KSA and UAE employment laws as well as reviewing their HR policies and template employment contracts for compliance with the relevant local laws.
  • Advised clients on UAE Emiratisation regulations, as well as end of service gratuity and pensions for Emiratis.
  • Initiated employment proceedings in the DIFC Courts on behalf of several clients against their employers in the DIFC.
  • Advised a client on the legal aspects of life insurance provided to employees, and how the mechanism works in case of an employee’s death.

Intellectual Property

  • Advised a developer on the possibility of copyrighting a project/city’s skyline under the KSA Copyright Law.
  • Assisted multiple clients with drafting cease-and-desist letters against entities selling counterfeit products, and/or infringing their intellectual property rights.
  • Assisted multiple clients with multiple trademark oppositions and appeals against trademark registration refusals before the UAE authorities.
  • Assisted multiple clients with multiple trademark registration specifications.
  • Advised a client on YouTube’s take-down policies and procedures who was suffering from intellectual property infringements in Egypt and Iraq.
  • Advised multiple clients on the applicable rules and regulations in the KSA and UAE on the use of medical and patient data, data storage, and the transfer of such data abroad.

Construction disputes

  • Assisted a sub-contractor by drafting replies to mini claims (HSE contracharges) claimed by the main contractor in a significant middle east airport arbitration.
  • Assisted a main contractor in defending arbitration claims against it by multiple sub-contractors on the basis of a back-to-back clause. General Commercial
  • Advised an American law firm on whether their clients’ restaurant popups would fall under the KSA Franchise Law.
  • Advised a client on the legality under the UAE’s competition laws and regulations of asking consumers the price they paid to dealers for purchased vehicles.
  • Advised a pharmaceutical client on the legal framework regarding the importation and sale of unregistered pharmaceuticals in Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar.

Arbitration

  • Assisted clients in arbitrations before the DIFC and DIAC, navigating local procedural rules and substantive law applicable to construction and real estate contracts. Addressed issues such as variation orders, liquidated damages, and force majeure events.
  • Provided comprehensive legal analysis, drafted submissions, managed evidentiary documents, and participated in hearings to secure favorable outcomes for clients.