Member Profiles

MEET ASHRAF | Ashraf is the founder of Motei & Associates. He began his career as a Public Prosecutor in Cairo, Egypt in 1990. Two years later, he commenced his private practice as an Associate with Baker & McKenzie - Cairo, Los Angeles and Dallas offices. In 1997, he moved to Dubai to act as in-house Counsel for Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), one of the leading drivers of economic growth in the Middle East and North Africa. Two years later, he was appointed as Regional Counsel by the Swiss multinational, Nestlé S.A. In 2002, Motei & Associates was born.    AREA OF EXERTISE | Ashraf leads the dispute resolution practice at M&A. He advises clients on complex civil, commercial and corporate litigation including contracts disputes, joint ventures, shareholders disputes, business crimes (management misconduct, fraud, theft), construction, professional negligence, agency and employment disputes. Ashraf has over two decades recognized expertise in real estate disputes and has represented buyers in over numerous cases including sale and purchase disputes, delayed handover, discrepancy in saleable area, canceled projects, landlord and tenant disputes. Ashraf has also a recognized expertise in international arbitration. He has represented clients in numerous arbitration cases under the rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), The London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC-LCIA), and Dubai International Arbitration Centre. He advises on all aspects of the arbitral process throughout the enforcement procedures of arbitral awards, either local or worldwide. He has also served as arbitrator and co-arbitrator in numerous proceedings institutional and ad hoc cases. EDUCATION | Ashraf graduated from Cairo School of Law. He holds a Master’s degree from Paris I Pantheon La Sorbonne, and a Master’s degree (LL.M.) from Southern Methodist University (SMU) School of Law, Dallas, Texas. He is a certified member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb) London. Outside the legal field, Ashraf is a certified practitioner of Nero Linguistic Programing (NLP), London, and a certified Blockchain & Law Professional from Blockchain Council, California, USA.  

I represent clients on a wide variety of corporate transactions, projects, regulatory and commercial matters.  I advise on M&A transactions, joint ventures, corporate structuring and reorganizations, pre-dispute strategy and a wide range of commercial contracts.  I counsel clients doing business across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and South East Asia.  The work often involves advice on foreign direct investment, in conjunction with local counsel when necessary, and I have worked on several novel projects in frontier markets. My extensive oil and gas sector experience has been recognised by several independent legal directories, such as Chambers & Partners and Who’s Who Legal. The other sectors in which I have worked include: real estate, mining, power, education, hospitality, FMCG and sports.  I have also spent time in-house on secondment.  This variety of experience has provided me with a broad commercial perspective on matters. I am an English qualified solicitor and have practised at three of the world’s premier energy firms: Baker Botts, Fulbright & Jaworski and Dentons.  I worked for international law firms in London and Cairo before moving to Dubai full time in 2005.

Specialised in Family Law since 1998. He is the founding & managing partner of both Al Gharib Law Firms in Abu Dhabi & Dubai. He represents clients in divorce, custody, inheritance, wills and guardianship. Licensed advocate for all federal courts (District, Appeal, Cassation & Supreme Court). A member of scientific association for legal studies associated to the School of Law in Alexandria University, Arab Republic of Egypt. Has authored publications on various legal issues; dealt with several legal aspects such as drugs and criminal offense, as well as personal affairs issues such as: alimony, civil rights and commercial issues. He was a speaker on a TV Programme called Al Mohamun (The Lawyers) in UAE. He speaks three languages: Arabic, English and Farsi. The Al Gharib & Associates and Legal Consultants is highly reputable law firm and being the first e-law firm that provides e-services in the entire UAE.

Karteekka Tyaggi is a corporate attorney, who started her career with civil and criminal litigation in India. She then moved on to work in the United Arab Emirates and gained experience in claims related to employment, divorce, child custody and women’s rights. Around the same time, she also gained substantial experience in arbitration as well as commercial and corporate legal practice, having advised multi-jurisdictional corporates, government entities and individuals on a wide range of matters including, cross-border disputes, commercial transactions, compliance and corporate social responsibility, mergers & acquisition, banking & finance, data protection and compliance and regulatory. During this time, she dealt with several cross border issues and matters having worked with clients from Europe, Middle East and Asia. She is a certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, an experienced succession and estate planning attorney and in addition to the aforementioned subjects, she offers advisory on matters related to human rights, anti-harassment, equality, diversity & inclusion. In December, 2019 Karteekka moved to Geneva and now manages her legal practice between Geneva, India and UAE. At the same time, she is working with respect to issues related to sexual harassment, gender issues, children’s rights and human rights claims.

Hamdan is a UAE national, educated at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and has nearly a decade of successful litigation experience across the United Arab Emirates. He started his career in the Banking & Finance department of Al Tamimi & Co in the DIFC office. Furthermore, whilst being part of the Banking & Finance department he also participated in many cases in other departments out of his interest to learn more. In this time he qualified as a practitioner in the UAE and therefore represents clients in the UAE courts including Dubai. He then joined the Infrastructure Department at Mubadala Development Company in Abu Dhabi. In Mubadala he got involved in the finance department taking part in large university and other infrastructure turn-key projects which involved real estate, construction and finance matters. After setting up Hamdan Alshamsi Lawyers & legal Consultants “HAS”, he decided to set up a full-fledged practice including advisory and transactional work and ever since overseen more than 500 litigation disputes in the UAE courts, DIFC courts and various different arbitration centers and has advised in more than 130 transactions and advisory matters. Hamdan has built one of Dubai’s most reputable and respected Emirati law practices. He is widely regarded as a top litigator in the Dubai Courts with extensive experience in corporate, banking & finance, and insurance law. Hamdan advises both local and international companies as well as governmental entities in cases involving complex transactional disputes. Professional Experience Negotiated with creditors on behalf of a construction client, represented the management in the criminal and civil cases involved with cheques and guarantees, represented the company in labor cases in light of insolvency and before the Ministry of Labor, advised in relationships between cross border insolvency of group companies. On behalf of a client in the consultancy industry, Hamdan assisted in various claims between creditors and the debtors of the company and the arrangement of the winding up of the business. Advised a company in the food and beverage wholesale industry. Hamdan assisted with the preparation of the winding up process, provided advice to the shareholders and the management in relation to insolvency, restructure of operation and company to mitigate losses. Represented the company in the Litigation between the creditors and debtors and the previous management, assisted with the wind-up process. For a client in the exhibitions industry, Hamdan was involved in litigation including criminal, civil and defending the management of company, concluding with planning and structuring the insolvency. Advised in the insolvency of several companies under a group owned conglomerate, dealing and assisting with the current liquidator of the company in cases against the previous management and other creditors and debtors of the company, including asset search and recovery. Hamdan has dealt in various civil and criminal litigation surrounding insolvency and bankruptcy. Hamdan has assisted in the insolvency of a very large manufacturing company, dealing with the banks and the creditors with the focus on guarantees, dealing with the labor aspect, the shareholders and the liquidator. Involved in the insolvency of the company. Hamdan assisted with the insolvency of a large Marine company, dealing with the litigation between the partners of the company and the management. Involved in winding up the business. Assisted in the insolvency of a Heavy-Duty Equipment Company, dealing with the litigation between the partners of the company and the management team and winding up the company. Involved in the Bank J. Safra Sarasin DIFC in its insolvency, this incorporated both DIFC Law and English Law. Assisting in the application to obtain an order to wind up the company and assist the main creditor in recovery of owed monies. Advised on a number of large infrastructure PPP projects including a large University project in a multilateral non-recourse financing with mezzanine facility worth circa $1 billion. Hamdan has been Involved in a number of Insolvency cases but his experience is not limited to this practice, Hamdan has worked on a variety of transactions and projects throughout his experience, he has advised and assisted in establishing a number of companies and subsidiaries in Dubai and successfully advised a number of national and international companies including prominent banks in their corporate restructure and corporate governance.