The Strait of Hormuz has become a stark reminder that geopolitical risk can quickly become contractual risk for the shipping industry. A dangerous route does not however, by itself, determine whether an owner may refuse…
Products marketed as offering bond-like certainty — a fixed coupon, a defined maturity date, a headline yield well above prevailing market rates — have proliferated across private markets in recent years. Generally referred to as…
Commercial disruptions can affect contractual performance in different ways. A government restriction may prevent delivery, a critical asset may be destroyed, or performance may remain possible but become substantially more expensive. These situations are often…
What if the biggest legal risk in your next deal has nothing to do with the contract itself? Most businesses assume that legal obligations only kick in once a contract is signed. Under the new…
The current Middle East crisis, particularly the most recent announcement of Yemen’s Houthis declaring a naval blockade and maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia has brought force majeure out of contractual boilerplate clauses and firmly into…
Tax compliance in the UAE is no longer just a filing exercise. It is a business discipline that affects cash flow, audit readiness, financing, and the ability to respond when the Federal Tax Authority asks…
In shipping, most disputes take time. Ship arrest doesn’t. It is one of the very few tools in maritime practice that can immediately disrupt operations, create pressure, and force action sometimes within hours. And that’s…
Periods of regional uncertainty raise immediate, practical questions for businesses. The starting point, however, remains unchanged: UAE Labour Law continues to apply in full, regardless of external circumstances For employers, the real issue is not…
In recent years, the US has focused increasingly on “intermediaries” or “facilitators” of sanctions evasion, such as shipping companies, logistics service providers, freight forwarders and transport intermediaries, as well as insurance companies. Over the past…
