Exploring alternative dispute resolution mechanisms – latest updates

Dr Zeina Obeid is a Partner at Obeid & Partners, based in Dubai, where she practices in the Litigation & Arbitration Department. She has acted as lead counsel in major international arbitration cases across the Middle East and North Africa region. She also acts as an arbitrator (Sole Arbitrator, Presiding Arbitrator and co-arbitrator) in several domestic and international arbitrations, both ad hoc and under international institutional arbitral rules, including those of the ICC, DIAC, LCIA, CRCICA, BCDR-AAA, and DIFC-LCIA. She has represented clients in civil and commercial proceedings before the Lebanese courts in matters including leasing, expropriation, commercial agency, insurance, real estate property disputes, notification and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards, and actions for setting aside arbitral awards. She has also advised international clients and startups on corporate structures in Lebanon and the UAE and provided general advisory work on issues related to environmental law, anti-corruption, data protection & privacy, pharmaceutical products, Art work and franchising. Dr Zeina Obeid holds a PhD from the University Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) in France, obtained with the highest honors, and an LLM from Columbia University in New York. She also holds a dual Master II in Business Law in the Arab Countries as well as in Arbitration & ADR from the University Paris II, and a Master’s in Lebanese Law from the Lebanese University. She frequently publishes articles on various topics, notably in arbitration. In 2017, she published her book “Setting Aside Arbitral Awards in the Arab Countries,” which has been cited as a reference book for practitioners around the MENA region. She is a Fellow and tutor of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb). In 2022, she was elected as a Board Member of the CIArb-UAE Branch. She is also a member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration & ADR. She has been appointed as ICC YAAF representative for Dubai and Lebanon for 2024-2026. She is the Co-Chair of the IBA Young Lawyer’s Committee for 2025-2026. She previously served as the Middle Eastern representative of the IBA Anti-Corruption Committee. Zeina has been awarded in 2024 the “Young Lawyer Achiever of the Year” by Legal Era Middle East. She has also been ranked by Lexology as “Future Leader” in the arbitration category. Peers and clients say: “Zeina is a brilliant lawyer and arbitrator”, “She is detail oriented and provides insightful advice”. “Zeina is a very capable partner”, “She is a go-to for all matters in Lebanon, especially commercial or investment treaty arbitration” Dr Zeina Obeid is qualified to practice law in both Beirut and Paris and is licensed in Dubai by the Legal Affairs Department. She is fluent in English, Arabic, and French.

Jalal El Ahdab (Jil Ahdab) is a partner in the Dispute Resolution Group for Bird & Bird in Paris, the head of the Arbitration Department in France and a member of the Firm’s Dispute Resolution practice in Dubai and Casablanca, where he offers clients longstanding and cross-border expertise in managing international disputes and arbitrations. Jalal’s practice-area is international business law, with a focus on international disputes and foreign investments, notably in Europe, Africa and the MENA region. Having acted as a counsel, arbitrator and expert in over 150 cases, Jalal has in-depth experience in managing complex disputes including shareholders' rights, suits against States, class actions, breach of negotiations and bank guarantees, in all sorts of sectors, including sports, medias and the fashion industries. In addition to being a regular speaker at international arbitration conferences, including at the IBA, Jil has co-authored two books: 'Arbitration with the Arab Countries' (published by Kluwer in 2011), and a book on Arbitration Law and Practice in France, written jointly with Professor Daniel Mainguy of the University of Paris 1 – Sorbonne (published by LexisNexis in 2021). Jalal is qualified to practice in Beirut (Lebanon), Paris (France) and New York (USA), and is equally fluent in Arabic, English and French.