Wael Jabsheh
Partner
Areas of Focus
- Corporate & Finance
- Capital Markets
- Joint Ventures & Strategic Alliances
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Preferred Equity & Hybrid Capital
- Private Equity Transactions
- Project Acquisition & Disposition
- Projects & Energy Transition
- Investment Management
- Fund Manager Transactions
- Sovereign and Government Investors
- Intellectual Property
- Aviation, Space & Defense
- Energy & Infrastructure
- Media, Entertainment & Sports
- Technology
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
- Digital Assets, Cryptocurrency & Blockchain
- Fintech
- Telecom, Media & Technology
- Serves as co-partner in charge of the Abu Dhabi office and leads Akin’s mergers & acquisitions (M&A) and corporate law practices in the Middle East.
- Focuses on domestic and cross-border transactions.
- Advises on complex matters relating to media, communications, intellectual property and emerging technologies, including blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).
- Also advises on infrastructure-related matters, including traditional energy, energy transition and new energy technologies.
- Has been advising Middle Eastern clients since 2005 and is fluent in Arabic.
Wael serves as co-partner in charge of the Abu Dhabi office. He also leads the firm’s M&A and corporate law practices in the Middle East. Wael’s practice focuses on domestic and cross-border M&A, joint ventures, private equity, co-investment deals and fund-of-one structures. He also advises on matters related to emerging technologies, such as blockchain and AI, as well as infrastructure-related matters, covering traditional energy, energy transition and new energy technologies.
Since 2005, Wael has been based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he leverages his fluency in Arabic and deep understanding of the region to assist a wide range of sovereign and private clients, including many of the Middle East’s top sovereign wealth funds.
Wael is recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers, The Legal 500 and others. His clients consistently commend his strategic insight, deep industry knowledge and ability to deliver practical solutions in difficult legal matters.
- Advised a Saudi sovereign wealth fund on its US$1.3 billion acquisition of minority stakes in four Egyptian companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange (eFinance, Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemical Industries Company, Misr Fertilizer Production Company (MOPCO) and Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company).
- Represented Russia’s leading oil company in its acquisition of a 5% stake (valued over US$1 billion) in an ultra-sour gas concession from ADNOC, the UAE’s national oil company.
- Represented an Abu Dhabi state-owned entity in its joint venture with the Phoenix Group to establish a US$2 billion crypto mining farm on Reem Island, the largest mining facility in the world.
- Advised on the formation of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, a joint venture established between an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund and Wizz Air Holdings plc, which operates Europe’s fastest growing airline.
- Advised the largest drilling company in the Middle East on the establishment of Enersol, a strategic joint venture with Alpha Dhabi to invest up to US$1.5 billion in technology-enabled companies in the oilfield services and energy sectors.
LanguagesArabic
English
Arabic
English
EducationLL.B., University of Victoria Faculty of Law, 2003
B.A., University of British Columbia, 2000
LL.B., University of Victoria Faculty of Law, 2003
B.A., University of British Columbia, 2000
Bar AdmissionsLaw Society of Alberta, Canada
Law Society of Alberta, Canada
- Thomson Reuters’ Asian Legal Business, MENA Super 50 Lawyers, 2024
- Chambers Global, Commercial Contracts - UAE, 2016-2024.
- Chambers Global, Corporate/M&A: Abu Dhabi-based, 2023-24.
- The Legal 500 EMEA, Commercial, Corporate and M&A - UAE, 2015-2024.
- The Legal 500 M&A Powerlist: Middle East, Gold Standard, 2024.