Diana Hamade was honoured to speak at the International Bar Association’s Middle East Conference held at the Waldorf Astoria DIFC, Dubai, in February 2025. The event, themed “Law Firms and In-House Legal Departments Working Together”, welcomed legal professionals from around the world to discuss collaboration and regulatory adaptation in a rapidly changing landscape.
Diana served as a panelist on the session titled:
“How Can Law Firms Keep Up With Changing Laws and Regulations?”
Drawing on her experience leading a boutique practice that advises on cross-border family, private wealth, and Sharia law matters, Diana outlined how agile firms like hers:
- Stay ahead of legal reform through direct engagement with regulators, participation in legislative forums, and academic publication.
- Embrace digital legal tools and remote hearings to improve client access and cost-efficiency.
- Navigate UAE-specific challenges such as multiple overlapping legal frameworks (e.g. Federal, Abu Dhabi, Dubai courts; civil vs. Sharia; Muslim vs. Non-Muslim systems).
“In a country like the UAE, where laws evolve quickly to meet social and economic goals, lawyers must not only keep up – they must actively participate in shaping interpretation,” she explained.
Her perspective underscored the role that boutique firms play in complementing larger firms and in-house teams, especially in sensitive personal matters requiring cultural nuance.