The People Behind
Salloum & Partners LLC
Founder
Mr. Samir Salloum, KSG, the Firm’s Founder, and Managing Partner until his retirement in mid-2022, is a highly distinguished lawyer with over 47 years of experience operating in the UAE as a legal adviser and advocate. Mr. Salloum’s mastery of the law is multinational; holding Master’s Degrees in French Law, Lebanese Law and Political Science, and operating in English, Arabic and French with equal ease.
First called to the Beirut Bar in 1969, he was subsequently admitted to the French Bar, also practicing as an advocate before both the Federal Courts in the UAE and Courts in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi until 2013. Mr. Salloum was a Part II registered practitioner at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), with rights of audience before the DIFC courts. He also sits on the list of arbitrators of both the Abu Dhabi Commercial Conciliation and Arbitration Centre (ADCCAC) and the Ras Al Khaimah Commercial Arbitration Centre (RAKCAC). A longstanding member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris, he is a Door Tenant and Associate of the Outer Temple Chambers, London.
Mr. Salloum served as a member of various National Committees entrusted with legislative responsibilities for both the Federation of the UAE and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He was also in-house counsel for the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) for over 15 years, where he has served as acting general manager on numerous occasions.
During his tenure with the ADCCAC, Mr. Salloum was appointed by the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) to provide legal expertise to the government of Dubai, with specific responsibility for reorganizing the commercial section of the Dubai Municipality.
Among many prominent positions, Mr. Samir Salloum holds the office of Foreign Trade Counsellor to the French government, a role he has performed for many years. He also served two consecutive terms as President of the French Business Group in Abu Dhabi, a post he was first elected to in January 2013. Mr. Salloum was in 2017 appointed as the Director of the Continuing Education Center of SUAD. In February 2017 he was also elected President of the Conseil des Membres de la Légion d’Honneur et de l’Ordre National du Mérite (CMLHM), a post he retained until his retirement.
In recognition of his exceptional service and achievements, Mr. Salloum has been honoured with numerous international, governmental, and other awards, including multiple knighthoods.
An acclaimed lecturer, he regularly gave presentations on inheritance, corporate, commercial, and banking law, and environment in the UAE. Notably, he has lectured at the PSUAD on the law relating to tenders in the UAE in a course forming part of their masters’ programme. Mr Salloum is also a well- respected author, having published a range of books on the Emirati legal system, including:
- Law and Precedent Relating to Trademarks;
- Law and Precedent Relating to Trade Names;
- Law and Precedent Relating to Criminal Aspects of Cheques.
His philanthropic work and services to the community have been recognised by The Vatican, with his investiture in 2017 of a knighthood with the Pontifical Order of St Gregory the Major.
In January 2020, he received an award from the Embassy of the Republic of Lebanon in recognition of over 40 years of dedicated service to the Embassy, to the Lebanese community and of his contributions and achievements in the field of law in the UAE.
In 2021, he, together with his son, Ziad Salloum, received an award from the Embassy of the Republic of Argentina in recognition of their dedicated service to the Embassy and the Argentine community over the years.
Ziad Salloum, OSI, KSS, MCIArb is an award-winning legal advisor and arbitrator. Since joining Salloum & Partners LLC in 2006, Ziad has provided specialist support to UAE and foreign government entities, top multinational and local companies, educational institutions, financial institutions, entrepreneurs and leading business-owning families. He has advised on matters in various fields such as: commercial contracts, employment, secured/unsecured lending, restructuring, strategic & structural planning, M&A, insurance, dispute resolution, succession planning, corporate governance and family office setup.
Ziad is often called upon to speak or present at local and international conferences and at universities. He has presented on matters as diverse as succession planning in the context of family businesses and family offices, banking and finance, industry-university partnerships, employment law, HSE and environmental protection, dos & don’ts in the UAE, ethics in business and law, mitigation of construction disputes, arbitration, force majeure, mitigating the impact of COVID19, and more.
Ziad sits on a number of company boards, including those of the Lycee Francais International Theodore Monod and the St Mary’s Group of Schools. He notably served multiple terms and years on the boards of the International Lawyers Network (ILN), the French Business Group (now the CCI France), the Union of French Expatriates’ (UFE) Abu Dhabi chapter, and on the Advisory Board of the Emirati-Swiss Friendship Forum. He also served on the board and executive committee of the Alliance Française Abu Dhabi.
Ziad is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) and is on the roll of arbitrators of the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Center (arbitrateAD). Ziad is also a Professional Associate with Outer Temple Chambers in London.
Before converting to law, Ziad had a successful banking career, first in Treasury and Capital Markets, then in Private Banking.
He holds an LLM from SOAS, a PgDL from the University of East Anglia, an LLB from the Lebanese University and a BBA from the American University of Beirut.
Ziad is fluent in English, French, Arabic and Italian.
Ziad is also a keen photographer. He has been invited to exhibit his art at high-profile venues in the Middle East. His photography has also been featured and auctioned at numerous charity fundraisers and environmental awareness initiatives. During the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, Ziad and his children began a Lego photo project which was featured in the news, and which made its way to Instagram.
In 2017, in recognition of his services to the Catholic Church and wider community, The Vatican awarded him a knighthood with the Pontifical Order of St. Sylvester (KSS).
As mentioned above, In December 2020, the Embassy of the Republic of Argentina issued him with an award in recognition of his dedication and services to the Embassy over the years.
In June 2021, Ziad was invested with a knighthood by the Republic of Italy, which named him a Knight Officer in the Order of the Star of Italy (OSI).
Some publicly available articles written by Ziad are available here:
- http://www.campdenfb.com/article/why-blocking-next-gen-succession-gulf-zero-sum-game- http://www.campdenfb.com/article/view-gulf-overcoming-succession-fear-itself- https://mgra.pt/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ILN-Corporate-Group-Force-Majeure.pdf
Managing Partner
Our team
Our team is a diverse and multicultural blend of highly qualified professionals.
They combine capability, skill, experience and dedication with a deep knowledge of the law and business environment in the UAE, making them powerfully equipped to provide high-quality, practical advice and assistance to our clients in each of their practice areas.
Many of our lawyers are also qualified, or have experience, in a range of other jurisdictions including Lebanon, Egypt, France, Sri Lanka, Syria and England & Wales.
Our lawyers are supported by a dynamic paralegal and administrative team.
Our team is multilingual, able to handle business in a range of languages including Arabic, English, French and Italian.