Meet our team in the United Arab Emirates

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Rödl & Partner has been supporting its clients in the Middle East in legal and tax matters since 2013. Rödl & Partner Dubai Office with its staff of ten, offers competent and long-standing experience, with the individual interests of the clients being the focus of the local and international lawyers.

 

Our friendly and professional team will be happy to advise you:

Nicola Lohrey

Manager and head of the French branch of Rödl & Partner since 2017, responsible for the United Arab Emirates since 2020 and Saudi Arabia since 2022 | Attorney at Law (Germany) und Avocate (France), Managing Partner of Rödl & Partner since 2021.


Nicola Lohrey has many years of experience in supporting German and French companies in their expansion at home and abroad. 


She specialises in matters relating to German-French corporate and commercial law, particularly in the context of restructuring projects, advising and assisting clients in negotiations and complex international projects and the acquisition of investors from the German-speaking area in France.



Rita Aouad

Chief Operation Officer (UAE | KSA) at Rödl & Partner since 2015 | Legal- and Communications Studies (LL.M. and M.A.)
  
Ms. Aouad has more than ten years of experience in the Middle East. She has years of experience as a consultant and expertise in the fields of marketing and sales. She established the Business Development Team of our tax consultation department and is now the COO of our offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
 

The strategic focus is on maintaining and expanding the competitiveness of our offices. The heart of her work is our clients, whom she advises throughout the Middle East (with its own cultural dynamics and regulations). Ms. Aouad speaks German, English, French, and Arabic.

Tarek Antaki

Associate Partner since 2018 | Attorney at Law (Syria), Legal Consultant (UAE)


Mr. Antaki has more than 7 years of experience in the UAE, and more than 15 total in the Middle East region. He worked as an in-house lawyer for one of the biggest banks in Syria and has comprehensive knowledge in litigation matters in the UAE and GCC countries. He is specialized in supporting our clients in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Due to his experience, legal knowledge and language skills, Mr. Antaki is able to advise our clients cross border in the Middle East region regarding legal and tax matters. He is additionally responsible for litigation tasks such as civil, commercial, conflicts, arbitration and criminal cases.

Mohammad El Neemani

Business Consultant since 2014


Mr. El Neemani assisted in setting up the Rödl & Partner office in Dubai in 2014. He began as a public relations officer and progressed to the office's business consultant. He has a lot of experience from working in accounting and admin for 7 years at a contracting company in the UAE prior to joining Rödl & Partner. Mr. El Neemani handles all public relations work, accounting and bookkeeping, and his role also extends to following up with government services and the setting up and liquidation of companies.

DR. THOMAS BÜCHELER, LL.M.

Head of Tax (UAE | KSA) | Attorney-at-Law (Germany) | Certified Tax Advisor (Germany)​


Thomas is a German qualified Attorney-at-Law and a German qualified Certified Tax Advisor. He heads the tax practice of Rödl & Partner in the United Arab Emirates and in t​he Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Thomas completed his studies of law at the University of Trier and in Tokyo. After his legal training in Berlin, Hamburg and Tokyo, Thomas worked for leading German law firms and a German fund-of-funds in Hamburg and Munich. 

His practice focuses on all areas of German, UAE, KSA and international tax law, mainly on matters of corporate and transaction tax as well as on fund and investment taxation. 

He holds a PhD in international tax law (University of Trier) and a master’s degree (LL.M.) of the University of Sydney. 

He specializes on tax matters in the UAE and in the other GCC countries and supports clients with all tax-related queries in the United Arab Emirates and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.​​​​

Bandar Shanneik, LL.M.

Manager since 2023 | Legal Consultant (UAE), Attorney (Germany), Solicitor of England and Wales (non-practicing)​


Bandar Shanneik brings extensive professional experience spanning several years in the GCC region.

Bandar has completed his education in Germany with a focus on European and international private and commercial law, culminating in a master's degree in international business law from Amsterdam. He holds qualifications as a German Attorney and Legal Consultant in Dubai, and is admitted to the roll of solicitors in England and Wales (non-practicing), equipping him to address legal issues from both civil and common law perspectives.

Specializing primarily in corporate law matters, Bandar's expertise lies in M&A transactions, contract law, and arbitration within an international framework, particularly in the Middle East. He also provides counsel on real estate transactions within the UAE.​​​

Bandar speaks German, English and Arabic.

Benjamin Kozica

Attorney at Law (Germany) and Legal Consultant at Rödl & Partner in Dubai since 2024
  

enjamin spent several months in the Rödl & Partner office in Dubai as part of his legal traineeship. 

He has previously worked for major law firms in Germany and gained experience in corporate and labour law. His time at a major international law firm made it easier for him to adapt to the legal system in the Middle East.

In addition to corporate law, Benjamin Kozica also advises clients on real estate law in the Middle East, in particular in the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Besides his knowledge of German and English, he can also draw on his knowledge of Bosnian-Serbian.

Amina Ouannass

Associate at Rödl & Partner in Dubai | Lawyer (Germany) and Legal Consultant (UAE) since 2023
  
Amina Ouannass is a German lawyer at Rödl & Partner Dubai. During her studies and legal traineeship, Amina gained experience in major international law firms in the field of labor law, within which she also started her career.

In addition to the comprehensive legal services offered by Rödl & Partner, Amina Ouannass primarily handles employment and tax law matters. Due to her previous work at Rödl & Partner Dubai as part of her legal traineeship, Amina can draw on the knowledge she acquired in the GCC region in this context. 

In addition to her native German, Amina is fluent in English and has a basic knowledge of Arabic.

Katharina Guenther

Master of Laws (LL.M.), Certified German Tax consultant, Diplom-Finanzwirtin | with Rödl & Partner in Dubai since 2024
  

Katharina has been a German tax consultant since 2006. During many years in the German tax authority, later as a consultant in one of the Big4 companies as well as in the industry, she gained valuable experience especially in the area of VAT. 


At Rödl & Partner in Dubai, she advises international clients in particular on VAT and corporate tax issues in accordance with the local tax laws. Katharina has been living abroad with her family for many years and after Bangkok and Saigon she can now call Dubai her new home. 


Katharina speaks fluent English in addition to her native German.

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