Rebecca Kelly

Rebecca’s practice focuses on resolving domestic UAE and international litigation, and international arbitration.

Rebecca manages complex cross-border arbitration, representing parties involved in arbitrations through the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC); the DIFC LCIA Arbitration Centre, a strategic partnership between the Dubai International Financial Centre and the London Court of International Arbitration; the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC); and the International Court of Arbitration – International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

Rebecca also advises public and private corporations on corporate governance and regulatory compliance. She counsels clients involved in regional and international criminal and quasi-criminal investigations and prosecutions. She also conducts fraud investigations, and files international criminal and civil proceedings to recover misappropriated assets worldwide. Rebecca advises companies on how to address and comply with anti–money laundering, anti-corruption, and bribery legislation. These include the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the UK Bribery Act 2010. She also advises clients on corporate governance, confidentiality, document retention, and employee and employer obligations.

Federal and local governments often seek Rebecca’s advice when drafting legislation across a range of legal issues. She routinely develops UAE regulatory compliance manuals for corporate clients that cover a range of jurisdiction-specific legal obligations. She also conducts internal training for the international boards of entities with a Middle East presence.

Actively involved in law reform in the region, Rebecca advises clients on Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) obligations and legal challenges in the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC ). She has one of the only dedicated OSH practices in the Middle East, and was appointed to the UAE’s Federal Ministry of Labour Technical Committee responsible for the development of the UAE building and construction sector’s OSH legislation.

In addition, she developed the UAE Online Legislation Library, which was acquired by Thomson Reuters (Westlaw) in 2010. The Online Legislation Library is the only compendium of all of the UAE’s, Qatar’s, and Saudi Arabia’s laws in English and Arabic.