Zain heads the commercial litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution practice. He is also involved in assisting clients with M&As, infrastructure projects, financing and foreign investment set-ups. Zain has won awards for his outstanding client service. Zain has canvassed years of experience in complex high value, contentious and non-contentious work for large blue-chip clients and hospitality clients such as Hilton, Jumeirah, Pontiac, KSL, Blackstone Group, Google, Amazon, Adobe, Ball Corporation, Unilever, Deloitte UK, PwC UK, Grant Thornton UK, Cannacord Genuity, Ipsos Mori, Emirates Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, easyJet and British Airways. Zain was previously at global top tier firms in the City of London and New York City before joining S&A in 2020.
AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS
- Up and Coming Notable Practitioner, Chambers & Partners Global Guide 2024
- Taylor Wessing's People of the Year Award 2018
NOTABLE MATTERS
- Successfully assisted a leading aerospace, defense and security conglomerate in negotiating and entering various contracts in Maldives.
- Successfully enforced an arbitral award on behalf of hospitality focused asset manager against local island leaseholders.
- Assisted hospitality client successfully lobby local stakeholders to bring about a change in law and negotiate related amendments to the tourism lease agreement.
- Obtained a favourable settlement on behalf Maldives’ largest airport operator in relation to claims brought by globally present infrastructure contractor.
- Assisted foreign investors in forming a joint venture with local counsels for the development of 600 social housing units.
- Assisted foreign investors establish city hotel on locally inhabited island.
- Assisted foreign investors set up a steel manufacturing plant in Maldives.
- Assisted foreign investors obtain finance, set up and operate a resort in Maldives
- Successfully assisted a global hotelier in resisting local parallel proceedings in favour of a foreign-seated arbitration claim.
- Advised a global hotelier in securing their management rights following expulsion from property owing to a dispute with owners.
- Advised a global hotelier in enforcing arbitral awards issued in foreign seated arbitrations.
- Managed a worldwide employment advisory retainer engagement for a tech client present in over 80 jurisdictions.
- Advised institutional banks in relation to the LIBOR/TIBOR fixing scandal and compliance with the FCA FX Remediation program.
- Advised a well known airline in relation to insurance disputes arising out of the disappearance of an aircraft.
- Advised institutional lenders on interest rate swap disputes following LTV breaches as a result of the 2008/9 global financial crisis.
- Advised auditors in relation to civil law audit and regulatory investigations into their conduct followed the £12bn sale of Autonomy Corporation to Hewlett Packard and the subsequent £8bn write off.
- Advised an auditor in respect of investigations into their audit of a retailer following question around related party disclosures.
- Worked with document automation specialists and programmers to build a bespoke claims management system for a large UK airline.
- Acted for an ultra high-net-worth client in restoring misappropriated funds which were the subject of a secret oral trust in BVI.
- Acted for private investors to obtain and enforce an ICSID award following unlawful repatriation of assets from a MENA state.
EDUCATION
BA (Hons) Law and Politics
Queen Mary University of London, England
LLM Corporate and Commercial Law
Queen Mary University of London, England
Legal Practice Course
The University of Law
MEMBERSHIP & AFFILIATIONS
Admitted to Practice
England & Wales and New York
Attorney at Law
Republic of Maldives
Solicitor
Taylor Wessing LLP, London
Solicitor
Devonshires LLP, London
Member
Chartered Institute of Arbitrators
PRACTICE AREAS
Aviation
Banking and Finance
Capital Markets
Construction and Infrastructure
Dispute Resolution
Foreign Investments
Information Technology, Media and Communications
Regulatory and Compliance
Restructuring and Insolvency
Shipping and Maritime
Tax and Finance
Tourism and Hospitality