Insights

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.

Washington – February 24, 2026: Chambers and Partners has ranked 13 Crowell & Moring practice groups and 20 individual lawyers in the Chambers Global 2026 guide.

Doha, Qatar – December 9, 2025: Crowell & Moring was recently named Arbitration Team of the Year at the LexisNexis Middle East Qatar Business Law Forum 10th anniversary gala dinner and awards ceremony. The award comes on the heels of another major recognition for Crowell’s International Dispute Group in Doha, which was also named Arbitration Law Firm of the Year 2025 by Thomson Reuters’ Asian Legal Business Middle East Law Awards in October. 

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.

There are many issues to be mindful of during a time of conflict, but staff welfare is at the top of the list for any employer in Qatar. We set out below some key considerations for employers in the Middle East Region to be thinking about during this time.

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