Alessandro joined Fichte & Co in 2006 and is presently a partner at the firm.
Alessandro’s broad knowledge encompasses many areas of the firm’s contentious work, with a particular emphasis on disputes resolution and enforcement in which he advises a number of the firm’s clients. Alessandro was leading the team that obtained the first recognition and enforcement of a foreign arbitral award under the New York Convention by the Fujairah Courts and was the instructing lawyer in both Fiske Firmin v Firuzeh and Gulf Eyadah, the two representative cases in the DIFC Courts for the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and judgments. More recently he was the partner leading the UAE team in the dispute around “Luna”, the second largest expedition yacht in the world, and her arrest by the UAE courts following a freezing order issued by the DIFC courts – the first of this kind in the region.

Alessandro regularly acts for owners, yards and banks in contentious and non-contentious matters relating to ship building, ship finance, and ship sale and purchase contracts. Given his finance background, Alessandro’s clients naturally include ultra-high net worth families and individuals, and their family offices or private investments companies, for whom he regularly advises on wealth structuring and management as well as wealth and legacy protection.

Before joining Fichte & Co Alessandro practiced in Italy with a top-tier insurance law firm, during which time he also assisted the Chair of Maritime Law at the University of Bologna. He then moved to the UK to enhance his knowledge of Maritime Law, studying at the University of Southampton and gaining international work experience in London. Alessandro has been consistently named in the Legal 500 EMEA (Shipping) since 2011 and Chambers and Partner.

Qualifications

• LL.D. , Univerisyt of Bologna, Italy
• LL.M., University of Southampton, UK
• GDL, The College of Law (now University of Law), Guildford, UK

Recent cases

• Representing an international trader in the wrongful termination by a UAE based trader of two supplies of oil and related partnership agreement. The claim involves representation in DIFC-LCIA arbitration proceedings and several related instances to the DIFC Courts acting as supervisory court
• Acting for a Middle East trader in the recovery of advances paid and damages for non-performance of two separate supplies of Soybean Oil and Soyabean Meal from Brazil. The claim involves two separate arbitration proceedings in London under GAFTA and FOSFA rules under the Brazilian seller and a UAE guarantor
• Representing a UAE conglomerate in arbitration proceedings in relation to a performance guarantee given under a charterparty to a Greek owner
• Acting for a UAE based quasi-governmental company in the arrest of six VLCCs as security for a charterparty dispute under arbitration in London

Publications

Enforcement of Judgements, Awards & Deeds In Commercial Matters – UAE Jurisdiction – 2013 – Thompson Reuters

Enforcement of Judgments and Arbitral Awards – UAE Jurisdiction – Thompson Reuters  -> Click Here

The International Comparative Legal Guide – Shipping Law 2021 – UAE Chapter -> Click Here

2021 Customs Q&A Guides collection – Lexis Nexis – UAE Chapter -> Click Here

Shipping in the United Arab Emirates – Lexology – A structured guide to shipping laws in the United Arab Emirates -> Click Here

Marine insurance and accidents in the United Arab Emirates – Lexology – A structured guide to marine insurance and accidents in the United Arab Emirates

Ship registration in the United Arab Emirates – Lexology – A structured guide to ship registration laws in the United Arab Emirates -> Click Here

Carriage of goods by sea in the United Arab Emirates – Lexology – A structured guide to laws covering the carriage of goods by sea in the United Arab Emirates -> Click Here

Time-bars, time limits and deadlines for legal cases under UAE law- Lexology – A time-bar (or a statute of limitations as known under common law jurisdictions) is a statutory time limit for the enforcement of a civil claim -> Click Here