Hayfaa Nasri

Hayfaa is a Trainee Solicitor (England & Wales) in our Dispute Resolution team in Abu Dhabi.

Hayfaa has gained experience in general corporate/commercial matters including the founding of limited liability companies, corporate governance, and acquisitions. She has helped in conducting legal due diligence on companies in the UAE, and participated in the preparation of M&A transactional documents including share purchase agreements, shareholders’ agreements, and other related documentation. She has also participated in advising local and international clients within a wide range of industries, on contract drafting, regulatory affairs, and other day-to-day legal queries.

Hayfaa has gained general experience in Regulatory & Government Advisory. She has helped in advising government and private entities in trade law and expertise in international treaties, conventions, multilateral and bilateral instruments, as well as regulatory and compliance matters, and participated by conducting. She also helped in the implementation of legislative frameworks through conducting in-depth legal research.

During her time in the Dispute Resolution team, Hayfaa has been involved in the substantive and procedural aspects of dispute management across UAE courts and arbitration tribunals. Her experience spans a range of matters including banking disputes, maritime disputes involving charter agreements, bunker supply disputes, bills of lading, lease and rental disputes, employment matters, bankruptcy, and the drafting of wills and succession documents.

Her work has included coordinating cross-jurisdictional enforcement proceedings and supporting settlement negotiations with opposing counsel. She has contributed to matters before onshore and offshore courts, providing bilingual legal support in Arabic and English at every stage of the proceedings.

Hayfaa has supported the firm's criminal practice, with a focus on white-collar crime and money laundering matters. Her work in this area includes assisting in the preparation of criminal complaints, and managing and following up on cases before UAE authorities, including the Police, the Public Prosecution, and the State Security Public Prosecution.

Hayfaa has managed and coordinated execution and enforcement proceedings before local UAE courts, including developing enforcement strategy, tracking procedural deadlines, and monitoring case status through court systems. Her experience in this area includes coordinating a British Virgin Islands enforcement and liquidation proceeding in liaison with BVI counsel and liquidators, managing consent orders for liquidation termination, and advising on the enforcement of foreign judgments in the UAE.

Prior to joining Hadef & Partners, she participated in academic activities that revolved around helping students in areas such as tutoring and mentoring. Hayfaa was also entrusted to create and develop the legal section of the curriculum of an entrepreneurship course and was responsible for giving the lectures in both Arabic and English to over 100 students.

Hayfaa holds a Law degree from Abu Dhabi University and is completing her SQE through Barbri.

• Assisted with advising a government-related entity on its acquisition of a major UAE-based property development company and various subsidiaries.
• Assisted with advising a government department on matters related to the negotiation of multilateral free trade agreements.
• Assisted with advising a foreign entity on UAE Government Procurement matters.
• Assisted with advising authority on the legal basis and mechanisms for the Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. 
• Assisted in advising a group of companies on the enforcement of a Court judgement valued at more than AED 582 million.
• Assisted in DIFC costs assessment proceedings by managing set-off applications before Dubai Courts.
• Assisted in coordinating BVI enforcement and liquidation proceedings, including liaising with BVI counsel, managing consent orders for liquidation termination, and handling cross-jurisdictional recovery strategy.
• Assisted with advising a high-net-worth individual on the enforcement of a foreign judgment in the UAE involving multiple group entities.
• Supported bankruptcy applications for free-zone-licensed entities operating in the precious metals and international consultancy sectors, including coordinating with clients on procedural requirements, and tracking liquidation status.
• Supported several vessel arrest applications, including managing substantive claim and counterclaims.
• Supported settlement negotiations with individual counterparties in employment disputes, including reviewing settlement agreements, and advising corporate clients on recovery of misappropriated amounts and former-employee negotiations.
• Supported matter relating to wealth distribution and succession matters, including formatting and revising wills inside and outside the UAE, managing court attestation processes, and preparing certificates to cancel wills.