Addleshaw Goddard launches Investment Funds Practice in the Middle East with the appointment of Philip Dowsett

Addleshaw Goddard launches Investment Funds Practice in the Middle East with the appointment of Philip Dowsett

Addleshaw Goddard has appointed Philip Dowsett to lead the establishment of an Investment Management and Funds practice catering to clients operating in and from the Middle East.

Dowsett, with over 15 years of experience operating across the Middle East, joins the firm’s Dubai office from Dechert. He will now be part of an international team of 30+ lawyers, specialising in various aspects of private funds, spanning across Addleshaw Goddard's offices in Europe.

With a market-leading practice, Dowsett excels in providing expert advice on fund structuring and formation, which encompasses traditional closed-ended funds, structured evergreen platforms, single-asset vehicles, and investment platforms. His expertise extends to fund governance and investment management matters across the Middle East.

In addition to his proficiency in fund-related issues, Dowsett is also well-versed in handling complex cross-border transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, private equity, and venture capital matters.

Dowsett's exceptional expertise in "Investment Fund Formation and Management" in the United Arab Emirates has earned him the distinction of being one of only six "Leading Individuals" in this field, as recognized by Legal 500.

Dowsett's clientele comprises a diverse array of regional and international investors, private equity, and venture capital firms operating within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), as well as outside these jurisdictions. Additionally, he serves family offices, sovereign wealth funds, and corporates.

These clients represent a wide range of industries, spanning energy, healthcare, life sciences, technology, infrastructure, retail, and finance.

Andrew Johnston, Addleshaw Goddard Head of Middle East and Asia, welcomed Philip saying: "Phil is one of the best-known names in his specialist field and we are delighted he has joined us to lead a new service-line and build on the current regional fund matters being handled by the European team. He has worked with fund managers from around the world on their Middle East platforms and structures, as well as regional family offices and corporates looking to establish PE-like structures and his arrival presents an exciting opportunity for us to respond to client demand and quickly establish a highly credible practice spanning the entire investment cycle."

Philip Dowsett, Addleshaw Goddard Partner and Head of Investment Funds MENA added: "The Middle East is increasingly becoming home to a number of asset managers from the UK, Europe, Asia, and other jurisdictions as well as a favourable regime for family offices from the region and outside. I share AGs ambition to build the number one investment funds practice in the region, as well as bolster its leading M&A and Corporate practice, and am looking forward to sharing with clients operating in this space the benefits of a growing full-service platform, especially with AG's broad Middle East presence in the UAE, Oman, and Qatar, and the opening of a new office in Riyadh."

With the addition of Philip Dowsett, Addleshaw Goddard now boasts a total of 22 partners operating across the Middle East.