Abu Dhabi In-House Community Congress 2026

Registration

Opening Remarks

by Rahul Prakash, Publishing Director, In-House Community

From Risk Managers to Strategic Navigators: How Legal Teams Are Leading Through Constant Disruption

For years, legal teams have been expected to do more with less, a familiar challenge of expanding risk portfolios without a corresponding increase in budget or headcount. But today’s environment is fundamentally different. The pace, complexity, and interconnected nature of risk have changed.

Legal leaders are now navigating a landscape shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, rapidly evolving regulations across multiple jurisdictions, accelerating AI adoption, cybersecurity threats, and heightened stakeholder expectations. The challenge is no longer simply managing legal risk, it’s helping the business anticipate change, make confident decisions, and build resilience in an increasingly volatile world.

This panel will explore how in-house legal teams are evolving from reactive advisors to strategic business partners. Discussion topics will include:

• How legal departments are prioritizing risk in an era of constant regulatory and geopolitical change.
• Balancing innovation (particularly AI adoption) with governance, ethics, and compliance.
• Leveraging technology and legal operations to increase capacity without increasing headcount.
• Building agile legal functions that can respond quickly to emerging risks while supporting business growth.
• The evolving relationship between legal, compliance, risk, and the C-suite in enterprise decision-making

Moderator: Dina Mahdi, Partner and Head of Regulatory & Government Advisory, Hadef & Partners

Panelists: TBC

Employment Session

By Clyde & Co

Morning Networking Break

Coffee, tea, and a selection of light snacks will be served. 

Part 1: How Capital Market Authority and Capital Markets Laws could impact the markets

Synopsis:

The newly enacted capital market authority law contains extend powers for the Capital Markets Authority. Likewise, the newly enacted capital market law contains recognition of new concepts and expands upon the licensing of financial services in the mainland UAE as opposed to financial free zones. This session explores how the new laws could impact the financial services industry and financial free zones as well as the impact on licensing of such firms. The session also touches upon.

The session will be delivered by Yasser Omar, Executive Partner and Head of Corporate at Hadef & Partners.

Part 2: Responding to Regulatory Investigations: Legal and Practical Considerations

Synopsis:

This session will explore the legal and practical issues that arise throughout the lifecycle of a regulatory investigation. It will examine how regulators approach investigations and enforcement, the legal and evidential issues arising at each stage, common procedural missteps by regulated entities, the scope and limits of legal privilege in the UAE, the conduct of internal investigations, and available avenues of review and challenge.

The session will be delivered by George Anis, Partner, Regulatory and Government Advisory at Hadef & Partners.

AI, Data & Cross-Border Regulation: The Emerging Risk Triangle for In-House Counsel

By M&CO

Networking Lunch Break

Buffet lunch will be served, offering an assortment of hot dishes, salads, and desserts. 

Ai/Tech, around innovation and the future of AI (including how lawyers vs GCs are using AI)

By Bird & Bird

Litigation Without Regret: Managing Disputes to Preserve Commercial Leverage

The session examines litigation and arbitration through a commercial leverage lens, focusing on how General Counsel and in-house legal teams can manage disputes in a way that supports business objectives rather than undermining them. The discussion moves beyond legal theory to address the practical decision points that arise throughout the life cycle of a dispute and the consequences of treating those decisions in isolation.

The session will explore how General Counsel can:

• approach governing law and jurisdiction decisions in a manner that preserves flexibility and enforceability once a dispute arises;
• assess whether court proceedings, arbitration, or settlement best serve the company’s commercial position at different stages of a dispute;
• prepare and control disputes internally to ensure alignment between legal strategy and commercial objectives;
• use settlement discussions strategically, including how timing and structure affect leverage and enforceability; and
• integrate enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards into dispute strategy, rather than treating enforcement as a final step.

This session provides General Counsel with a clear and structured framework for managing disputes decisively, preserving commercial leverage, and avoiding strategic missteps that can lead to irreversible outcomes and unnecessary commercial exposure.

The session will be delivered by Mohamed Eissa, Partner, and Ratib Al Juneidi, Associate, in the Dispute Resolution Department at Hadef & Partners.

Closing Remarks & Further Networking

Coffee, tea, and a selection of light snacks will be served.