Ziyad is a Partner with over 14 years’ experience in the Middle East. He advises clients on all aspects of corporate and commercial legal matters with a particular focus on regional M&A.
Ziyad advises clients both in the relation to transactions within the UAE and also on cross-border transactions. He has advised on transactions involving target companies in an array of jurisdictions including the UAE, US, UK, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Qatar, Bahrain, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kazakhstan, acting for both buyers and sellers.
Expertise
- M&A
- Joint ventures
- Private equity transactions
- Franchising
- Commercial agencies
- Corporate compliance
- Corporate structuring
Experience
- Advised DFM-listed seller on its the sale of its stake in a sealant factory in Sharjah to a Saudi private equity fund.
- Advised the buyers on the acquisition of a chain of nursery schools in Dubai and Sharjah.
- Advised the sellers on the acquisition by a major healthcare service provider of a chain of poly clinics in the Northern Emirates.
- Advised the sellers on a disposal of a majority stake in a sports club in Dubai.
- Advised the minority party on a joint venture to establish a cloud kitchen business in the UAE and Saudi.
- Advised an international hospital operator on the sale of three medical clinics in Abu Dhabi.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Ziyad graduated with a B.A .History (with distinction) from Cornell University in 1999 and a J.D. (cum laude) from Georgetown University Law Centre in 2002. He qualified as a member of the Bar of Washington DC in 2003. Prior to joining Keystone Law Middle East in 2020, he worked at the following firms:
- DWF Middle East LLP (Dubai), Legal Director
- Afridi & Angell LLP (Dubai), Partner
- Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Field LLP (Dubai),
- Rizvi, Isa, Afridi & Angell (Karachi)
- Arnold & Porter LLP (Washington DC)
Publications
- Co-author of Private Equity: Market and Regulatory Overview, Multi-Jurisdictional Guides, Practical Law Company, 2014 (UAE chapter).
- Co-author of Company Directors, 1st Edition, European Lawyer Reference Series (UAE chapter).
- One Step Ahead: UAE Cabinet Approves Commercial Companies Law, 2015.