An International Firm with Saudi Roots

Mr. Al-Sharif is a Saudi trained and licensed lawyer who has extensive experience advising the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Justice, the mayor of Riyadh, the royal family, and other Saudi clients on their financial and commercial issues. His practice includes litigation before the Board of Grievances and Shari’a Courts, corporate mergers & restructuring, foreign investment, infrastructure, transportation, mining, independent power production, regulatory, and customs matters.

Christopher H. Johnson, a U.S. trained and qualified lawyer, specializes in international and domestic transactions and claims, representing global firms in all aspects of international business. He has been active in Saudi Arabia since 1978 and has maintained an office in Riyadh since 1984. Chris has served as Chairman of AmCham Saudi Arabia, the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (MECACC) and KKR Saudi Ltd. He has participated in many U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) negotiations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council and served as an expert witness on Saudi law before various courts and arbitral tribunals and as an advocate and arbitrator in ICC Arbitration. His practice currently focuses on global financial institutions in all aspects of their global and local operations, cross border regulatory, corporate and commercial issues, corporate governance, registrations, liquidations, disputes and mergers & acquisitions. Previously, he served as Director, Chairman and President of the humanitarian air service provider AirServ, and as Commissioner and Chairman of Vint Hill Economic Development Authority charged by the Virginia General Assembly to develop a decommissioned U.S. Army base as a Northern Virginia neo-traditional town center.

Matthew Kirkham, a U.S.-trained and qualified attorney, has been practicing in Saudi Arabia since 2016 and advises multinational companies on dispute resolution, white-collar crime and compliance issues, commercial contracts, competition law, and data compliance. He has established numerous LLCs in KSA and has handled several M&A transactions and corporate transformations. Before his time in Saudi Arabia, Matthew was a state prosecutor of white-collar, capital, and other major offenses, including trials, appeals and habeas corpus. He has argued before the Louisiana Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court. Clients have included Alibaba, Amazon, Amereller, Bentley, Bridgestone, Dell, Ernst & Young, European Union Commission, Embassy of Japan, Goldman Sachs, Google, Kingdom Centre, KKR, Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, Mitsubishi, Morgan Lewis, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) (secondment), Simmons & Simmons, Sumitomo Chemical, Taylor Wessing, and Uber. In the cultural and educational sector, he has represented World Learning in establishing its Saudi presence, and SpringerNature and MacMillan in their Saudi licensing and registration matters. Matthew has co-edited and contributed to the globally-circulated Saudi Arabian Update, and contributed to Data Guidance, a privacy intelligence platform for privacy professionals. In addition, has served as government relations chair for the American Business Group of Jeddah and finance chairman for MECACC.

Farishta Baha is a U.S.-licensed attorney with over 15 years of legal experience. She currently serves as Senior Legal Advisor, advising multinational companies on corporate structuring, licensing, and complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and reorganizations. Her practice also includes advising on employment matters under Saudi Labor Law, with experience in drafting employment contracts and internal policies, as well as guiding clients through dispute resolution and strategic settlements. In addition, she counsels financial institutions and investment firms on cross-border services and regulatory compliance under the Capital Market Law and SAMA regulations, with particular focus on cross-border offering compliance. Earlier in her career, Farishta practiced construction litigation in Illinois, where she represented owners, architects, general contractors, and subcontractors in matters involving personal injury claims. She also handled liability claims arising out of transportation accidents (trucking, auto), premises liability, as well as general casualty claims.

Waleed Mousa, a Sudanese and UK trained and qualified lawyer, specializes in commercial and corporate law. Waleed primarily advises local and international clients on corporate registrations, conversions, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, liquidations, customs regulations, compliance, contracts, intellectual property, and real estate issues. In the corporate realm, Waleed counsels international companies across various sectors in corporate registrations, advisory and governance matters, corporate re-organizations, and mergers and acquisitions in all type of companies and JVs, industrial, services, trading, real estate, professional and engineering, industrial licenses, environmental licenses for industrial plants, industrial waste management agreements, industrial lands lease agreements with various industrial cities around Saudi, civil defense and industrial cities regulations, raw material regulations and exemptions, and other domains. His comprehensive approach to corporate law reflects a commitment to providing strategic counsel that aligns with the evolving needs of businesses. Waleed's practice extends beyond corporate and employment matters to include advising financial institutions on the cross-border provision of financial services. His role involves navigating the complexities of regulatory frameworks, particularly under the Saudi Capital Market Authority Law and regulations, where he provides insightful counsel to financial entities, facilitating their compliance with legal requirements and optimizing cross-border operations for a variety of clients.

Mohalab Osman, a Sudanese trained and qualified lawyer, is an experienced attorney with a Bachelor of Arts in Shari'a and Law from Omdurman Islamic University and a post-graduate diploma in Law from Khartoum University. In his role as the head of litigation at Al-Sharif Law, Mohalab is responsible for managing a diverse range of legal issues, including contract disputes, criminal matters, and commercial disputes. His expertise extends to various facets of employment law, including contract drafting, workplace investigations, disciplinary matters, and resolution of employment disputes. His thorough approach to legal matters reflects a comprehensive understanding of both litigation and employment law intricacies. Mohalab brings unique and extensive experience with the Saudi legal system and has successfully overseen a wide variety of complex litigation cases and corporate matters. His clients have included industry-leading companies, public institutions, and high-profile individuals.

Ali Al-Shehri, a Saudi trained and qualified lawyer, has served as a Senior Saudi Attorney with Al-Sharif Law Firm since 2011. He specializes in commercial and civil claims, with special experience in commercial law, anti-money laundering regulations, copyright issues, trademark registrations, appeals, and estate planning. Ali also serves as an Advisor to the Legal Committee of the Council of Ministers, responsible for drafting and reviewing proposed and existing laws. Ali is admitted to practice in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Justice Law License No. 29/46), is a Ministry of Justice recommended arbitrator and holds an LL.B. from King Saud University.

Osama Al-Masud a Saudi trained and qualified lawyer, has worked as a senior attorney at Al-Sharif Law since 2014. He specializes in complex commercial, civil, and real estate litigation, and has particular expertise in commercial law, large estate cases, and serves as a consultant for several companies involved in financial technology, real estate fund establishment, and the formation of financial companies and investment entities, and he is proficient in filing appeals and cassation requests, as well as resolving major disputes. Additionally, Osama is proficient in drafting contracts and agreements in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He serves as a consultant for fintech (financial technology) companies and artificial intelligence technologies, with multiple contributions to legal technology. Osama is also actively involved in corporate governance, preparing and auditing internal regulations.