Insights

Doha, Qatar – Oct. 7, 2026: Crowell & Moring was named Law Firm of the Year – Qatar at the LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards 2026. The awards celebrate legal excellence, innovation, and leadership among law firms, in-house legal departments, and legal professionals across the Middle East.

Washington, D.C. – October 1, 2026: Crowell & Moring today announced that Glen McGorty, a member of the firm’s Management Board and Executive Committee, Chair of the Litigation and Trial Department, and managing partner of its New York office, has been elected by the partnership to be the next chair of the firm’s Management Board. His three-year term will begin March 1, 2027. McGorty will be the first chair in the firm’s history to be based outside of Washington, D.C.

Doha – April 2, 2026: Crowell & Moring’s Doha office has been recognized in two of the legal industry’s leading directories: Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.

The State of Qatar has enacted Law No. (8) of 2026, amending certain provisions of Law No. (4) of 2008 concerning the Leasing of Real Estate.

The Board of Directors of the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) has issued Decision No. 3 of 2026, introducing the Instructions for the International License to Practice Certain Activities in International Financial Markets (the Instructions).

Qatar has enacted Law No. 9 of 2026, amending the Labour Law issued by Law No. 14 of 2004. The amendments cover the scope of the application of the Labour Law, vocational certification, noncompete clauses, the right to strike, joint committees, dismissal grounds, and enforcement powers. Employers should review their employment practices and documentation to ensure compliance.

As a disputes lawyer, I come across many disputes that were entirely avoidable, and it is fair to say that commercial disputes are among the most costly and disruptive events a business can face. They consume management time, damage commercial relationships, generate significant legal costs, and — in severe cases — threaten the viability of an enterprise altogether. Yet a significant proportion of disputes that find their way into arbitration tribunals, courtrooms, or mediation suites are not the product of bad faith or genuinely irreconcilable differences. They are, at their root, the product of poorly drafted contracts: documents that failed to anticipate risk, allocate responsibility clearly, or provide workable mechanisms for resolving problems when they arise.

This panel will provide an update on issues related to current topics in arbitrating international disputes in MENA: