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“Afridi delivers international quality advice on local law matters. The team meets deadlines and bring a commercial understanding to their work product. They are also responsive and personable in their dealings.” - Legal 500 EMEA

Abdus Samad Legal Advisor in UAE, Legal Partner

Abdus Samad

Partner

Areas of Expertise

  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Corporate and Commercial
  • Competition and Antitrust
  • Compliance
  • Capital Markets
  • Venture Capital

Qualifications

  • Professional
  • Punjab Bar Council
  • Law Society of England and Wales
  • Languages
  • English
  • Urdu
  • Academic
  • Kings College London, 2011
Publications
    inBriefs
      Notable Matters

      Abdus has led on a wide range of M&A transactions. These include:

      • Advising the purchaser on all aspects of its acquisition of the freight forwarding business of a leading logistics services provider. This deal was structured as an asset purchase and accordingly required complex completion arrangements with regards to the relevant UAE assets and employees. It also concerned the acquisition of assets in over 11 foreign jurisdictions.

       

      • Advising the vendor in the sale of three related schools in the Emirate of Sharjah for USD 100 million. The deal included a leasing arrangement pursuant to which the vendor will continue to own the property on which the schools are built and will lease the property to the purchaser.

       

      • Advising Siemens AG and Alstom S.A on all UAE competition aspects of the abortive merger of Alstom S.A with Siemens AG’s mobility division. This is widely considered to be amongst the first merger clearance requests to be submitted in the UAE.

       

      • Advising the vendors on the sale of an 80 per cent stake in a Dubai-based school to a GCC private equity firm for AED 200 million.
      Speaking Engagements
      • Speaker, The Licensing and Regulation of Virtual Asset Businesses in Dubai, Dubai Chambers webinar, 25 June 2024
      • Speaker, Licensing and Regulation of Virtual Asset Businesses in the Emirate of Dubai, Afridi & Angell and Steptoe’s webinar, 6 December 2023
      • Speaker, Forensic & Restructuring Summit 23, conference organised by The Wealth Today and Forensic Risk Alliance, 6 June 2023
      • Speaker, New Year’s Legal Update: UAE Commercial Companies Law, Afridi & Angell’s webinar, 7 February 2023
      • Speaker, New Year’s Legal Update: UAE Commercial Companies Law, Afridi & Angell’s webinar, 24 January 2022
      • Speaker, Overview of the UAE and DIFC Companies Law, workshop organised by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Dubai, 16 April 2019
      • Panelist, The New African Competition Regimes, Lex Mundi Africa and Middle East Regional Forum, 26-28 February 2019, Dubai
      Awards and Testimonials

      Abdus is ranked as a  “Next Generation Partner” in Corporate, Commercial and M&A.

      Legal 500

       

      “Abdus Samad is one of the most effective legal professionals I have ever worked with globally. He has a unique ability to provide pragmatic and actionable legal advice based on knowledge of the law, exceptional people skills, and sound judgement.”

      Legal 500 2025

       

       

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      About

      Abdus Samad is a corporate lawyer based in Afridi & Angell’s Dubai office. He specialises in M&A and corporate transactions and has extensive knowledge and experience in cross-border matters, including complex acquisitions and divestures for a broad range of public and private sector clients.

       

      Abdus is ranked as a “Next Generation Partner” for commercial, corporate, and M&A in Legal 500 EMEA.

       

      Abdus has led on a wide range of M&A transactions. These include:

       

      • Advising the purchaser on all aspects of its acquisition of the freight forwarding business of a leading logistics services provider. This deal was structured as an asset purchase and accordingly required complex completion arrangements with regards to the relevant UAE assets and employees. It also concerned the acquisition of assets in over 11 foreign jurisdictions.

       

      • Advising the vendor in the sale of three related schools in the Emirate of Sharjah for USD 100 million. The deal included a leasing arrangement pursuant to which the vendor will continue to own the property on which the schools are built and will lease the property to the purchaser.

       

      • Advising Siemens AG and Alstom S.A on all UAE competition aspects of the abortive merger of Alstom S.A with Siemens AG’s mobility division. This is widely considered to be amongst the first merger clearance requests to be submitted in the UAE.

       

      • Advised London Stock Exchange Group plc on all UAE competition and merger control aspects of its USD 27 billion all-share acquisition of Refinitiv.

       

      • Advising the vendors on the sale of an 80 per cent stake in a Dubai-based school to a GCC private equity firm for AED 200 million.