Watson Farley & Williams Appoint Natalie Jensen, Rita Al Semaani Jansen, Khalid Hamed and Alastair Holland as Partners in Dubai

Watson Farley & Williams Appoint Natalie Jensen, Rita Al Semaani Jansen, Khalid Hamed and Alastair Holland as Partners in Dubai

The team includes a senior associate, an associate, a trainee, and three paralegals who were serving at Ince & Co

Watson Farley & Williams has expanded its Dubai office team by adding four new partners - Natalie Jensen, Rita Al Semaani Jansen, Khalid Hamed and Alastair Holland.

The team also includes a senior associate, an associate, a trainee, and three paralegals, all serving at Ince & Co in Dubai United Arab Emirates.

On their inclusion, Charlotte Bijlani, the Dubai office head at Watson Farley & Williams remarked, “I am delighted to welcome Natalie, Rita, Khalid and Alastair to the firm. From a dispute perspective, Natalie and Khalid joining us further enhances our reputation for contentious work, including maritime. Rita and Alastair’s arrival adds to the strength and depth of our current corporate offering in Dubai.”

Natalie Jensen added, “It is wonderful to join Watson Farley & Williams with Rita, Khalid and Alastair, and all our colleagues. We look forward to strengthening our practices and collaborating with new colleagues to help grow the firm’s already highly regarded disputes and corporate practices in Dubai.”

While Natalie Jensen’s background is in maritime, international trade and energy sectors spanning the UK and the UAE markets, she has invaluable insights from her tenure at the International Group of P&I Clubs. She expertly advises on contractual and charter-party disputes, offering commercial advice to shipowners, charterers, cargo interests, P&I clubs, and insurers. She also handles disputes arising from charter parties, bills of lading, contracts of affreightment and carriage contracts, including collisions and allisions.

Khalid Hamed is qualified in Egypt and has over three decades of experience in advising banks, insurance companies and manufacturing and trading entities across the Middle East. His focus lies in insurance and re-insurance disputes, particularly in maritime insurance. He also guides on various insurance coverage disputes before the UAE courts, especially for hull and machinery and marine cargo insurers.

Rita Al Semaani Jansen is a highly skilled corporate and commercial law specialist. With a strong background in the UAE and wider MENA region, she advises clients on corporate and commercial law matters, including national and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, and franchising.

Alastair Holland has over two decades of experience in the Middle East and specializes in private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets, private equity, and joint ventures. His client portfolio includes multinational corporations, high-net-worth individuals, entrepreneurs, and family-owned businesses.