Ben Brown

Full Profile

Ben advises regional and multinational employers in all sectors. He advises on the full range of employment matters including employment disputes, termination of employment, large-scale redundancy exercises, allegations of discrimination and harassment, investigations into workplace misconduct, compliance with pension and social security obligations, employment issues arising out of restructurings and mergers and acquisitions (M&A), compliance with workforce nationalisation requirements and the enforcement of restrictive covenants and the protection of trade secrets and confidential information. 

In recent years, Ben has been instructed to advise on some of the key pieces of employment legislation in the Middle East, including the DIFC employment law which came into force in 2019 and the new Qatar Financial Centre employment regulations. He has given expert evidence to US Courts on matters of DIFC law and to English employment tribunals on matters of Saudi law.

Ben is ranked as a leading lawyer for UAE and KSA employment by Chambers Global 2024 and he is recognised as a next generation partner for UAE employment by Legal 500 2024.

Ben is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales. He is a registered practitioner with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department, and the DIFC and ADGM Courts.

Ben returned to Clyde & Co in 2024 after spending four years as a partner at Addleshaw Goddard in Dubai where he built the firm’s UAE and KSA employment practice. 

Experience

• Advising Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) on its successful acquisition of American International Group’s (AIG) global personal travel insurance and assistance business, including Travel Guard. The transaction involved over 40 jurisdictions across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. This global transaction was led out of the firm’s Dubai office.
• Representing Standard Chartered Bank in the first-ever discrimination and victimisation case to be decided under the current employment legislation in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Court.

Prior to joining Clyde & Co:

• Acting in some of the most important employment cases in recent years including:
  • Representing the Claimant in The Industrial Group Ltd v Abdelazim El Shikh El Fadil Hamid, a landmark case in which the DIFC Court of Appeal has clarified the source of DIFC law.
  • Representing the Defendant in Mahmood v Standard Chartered Bank, which is due to be the first discrimination case to go to trial in the DIFC Courts since the implementation of new anti-discrimination provisions.
  • Representing the Respondent in AES Middle East Insurance Broker LLC v GSB Capital Ltd one of only a handful of cases in which the DIFC Courts have ordered interim relief in an employment competition case.
  • Representing the Claimant in Rubingh v Veloqx RSC Ltd, successfully obtaining the first default judgment in an employment case in the ADGM Courts*.
  • Advising a number of multinational companies in relation to cases in the DIFC Small Claims Tribunal.
• Advising on numerous UAE federal labour court cases including:
  • Defending an international construction company in the Abu Dhabi courts to recover outstanding loans from an ex-employee defending a UAE-based oil company in the Dubai Court of Cassation (the UAE's highest court).
  • Defending a UAE-based international construction company against claims of arbitrary dismissal bought by a number of senior employees in the Dubai Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal.
  • Defending an international clothing company on a multi-jurisdictional personal injury claim.
• Pursuing civil and criminal proceedings against ex-employees after a team move.
• Advising an international management consultancy on labour court proceedings.
• Advising on the enforcement of post-termination restrictions in KSA.
• Advising on the employment issues arising from the post-completion integration process following the merger of two domestic banks in KSA.
• Advising a multinational media company on resourcing its operations in Qatar following a global acquisition.
• Advising international and local companies on complying with Emiratisation, the UAE labour law and the requirements of the UAE General Pension and Social Security Authority.
• Advising international companies on complying with Saudisation and resourcing their operations in KSA.
• Advising a global telecoms company on legal risks arising from recruiting individuals in the Middle East, including Bahrain.
• Advising a global company on resourcing its local distributors in Bahrain.
• Advising international companies on complying with their obligations under the KSA labour law and the requirements of the General Organisation for Social Insurance.
• Advising international companies on complying with their obligations under the Bahrain labour law.
• Advising the Qatar Financial Centre on amending the primary piece of employment legislation in the QFC.
• Advising the DIFC Authority on the implementation and drafting of DIFC Law No.2 of 2019, the primary piece of employment legislation in the DIFC.
• Advising an international company on the implementation of a global employee performance incentive plan in KSA.
• Advising a number of global banks on all employment-related matters in KSA.
• Advising a global software company in relation to all its employment matters in Qatar.