Waleed is the firm’s Managing Partner and has a wide and varied dispute resolution practice. He has acted for multinationals, high-net worth individuals and state entities in proceedings before the High Court, Court of Appeal and several International Arbitration centres.
Waleed advises clients on their commercial and private disputes and often works closely with his clients’ in-house legal teams to resolve disputes at the earliest possible opportunity. Leading with a direct and confident approach, he has acted in numerous domestic and foreign proceedings and arbitrations, developing close relationships with lawyers around the world, particularly in Central Asia and the Middle East.
Alongside having Higher Rights of Audience (civil), he is also an Accredited Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CiARB). In addition to this, Waleed has also carried out advocacy in the County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.
Innovative, personable and very commercial, Waleed has the trust of his clients and can identify the right strategic approach to resolve even the most intractable disputes.
Waleed graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Spanish Language & Literature, working in a legal and accounting advisory firm in Spain, before qualifying as a solicitor. He co-founded Eldwick Law in 2017, shortly after qualifying.
Civil Fraud & Asset Recovery
- Acting and advising senior management of one of Kazakhstan’s largest banks on claims in the English courts for the recovery of shares of the bank in the UK.
- Advising an international Kazakh based oil and gas drilling company in misfeasance and derivative claims against a formerly listed FTSE 100 oil and gas exploration company.
- Acting for a UK based export finance company, which held various Kazakh subsidiaries holding mining licenses to drill for rare earth metals in Central Kazakhstan. Successfully obtained a freezing injunction and an order for delivery up of valuable mineral samples, followed by summary judgment in a claim for a declaration before the High Court of Justice in London.
- Advised company directors in relation to an investigation by the Astana Financial Services Authority (AFSA), the regulator of the Astana International Finance Centre (AIFC).
- Acted for a very high net worth individual in a civil fraud claim for the recovery of a number of high value classic cars, registered in Switzerland. Successfully obtained a freezing injunction over the Defendants’ accounts and assets, as well as an order for delivery up of the vehicles.
- Acted for the CEO and COO of a collapsed Texan oil company alleged to have deceived the company’s board of directors into entering into a USD 300 million transaction.
- Acted for various shareholders in obtaining an administration order against a company that had raised over £24.5 million from nearly 3,000 mainly Chinese shareholders. The case attracted significant media attention as the company was chaired by former BBC boss Lord Grade and had provided an unexplained loan of £500,000 to the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. After successfully obtaining an order for an administrator to be appointed, we investigated claims against the company to trace and recover the misappropriated investments.
- Acting for numerous franchisees in fraudulent misrepresentations claims against the former CEO of UK based franchisor, operating over 100 gyms in the UK, Central Europe and the Middle East. The claims were brought on the basis of fraudulent misrepresentations made to the franchisees regarding the performance and profitability of the franchise business. Successfully pierced the corporate veil by bringing the claims against the former CEO, eventually obtaining judgment and initiating insolvency proceedings to recover assets.
Arbitration
- Acted for a multi-national European company in civil fraud and asset recovery proceedings arising out of an arbitration award issued in a European arbitration centre. Successfully obtained freezing injunctions, and insolvency and bankruptcy orders in order to trace and recover the Defendants’ assets in Europe, the United Arab Emirates and various offshore jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands.
- Acted for a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an UNCITRAL arbitration before the LCIA against one of the world’s largest multilateral development banks.
- Acting for a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an arbitration before the London Maritime Arbitrators’ Association.
- Acting on behalf of a multi-national construction company in an ICC arbitration against Shell Iraq Petroleum.
- Advising a Kazakh quasi-state entity in an action against an Azeri state oil company regarding the delivery of Azeri light crude oil.
Experience in Sanctions and Regulatory
- Acting for an Egyptian oil company in proceedings before the General Court in Luxembourg to de-list from the EU sanctions list.
- Acting for an Egyptian national in de-listing proceedings before the General Court in Luxembourg.
- Advising a UK software company on how the Russia Regulations impacted their business operations, in particular their use of patented software belonging to a Russian company.
- Advising a UK based electronic payment company on the effect of Ukrainian sanctions designation in the UK.
- Advising a UK national on the purchase of shares in Evraz plc on the secondary market.
- Advising a Kazakh quasi-state entity on its sanctions policy.
Waleed is fluent in 3 languages; speaks conversational French and is currently learning Russian.