Member Profiles

Karteekka Tyaggi is a corporate attorney, who started her career with civil and criminal litigation in India. She then moved on to work in the United Arab Emirates and gained experience in claims related to employment, divorce, child custody and women’s rights. Around the same time, she also gained substantial experience in arbitration as well as commercial and corporate legal practice, having advised multi-jurisdictional corporates, government entities and individuals on a wide range of matters including, cross-border disputes, commercial transactions, compliance and corporate social responsibility, mergers & acquisition, banking & finance, data protection and compliance and regulatory. During this time, she dealt with several cross border issues and matters having worked with clients from Europe, Middle East and Asia. She is a certified Anti Money Laundering Specialist, an experienced succession and estate planning attorney and in addition to the aforementioned subjects, she offers advisory on matters related to human rights, anti-harassment, equality, diversity & inclusion. In December, 2019 Karteekka moved to Geneva and now manages her legal practice between Geneva, India and UAE. At the same time, she is working with respect to issues related to sexual harassment, gender issues, children’s rights and human rights claims.

I am a partner and head of litigation department, based in our Dubai office. I have extensive knowledge and experience of both the UAE and Sudanese Court systems and their applicable laws. I provide succinct, pragmatic and commercial legal advice to my clients and delivers clear-cut solutions to their problems. My expertise spans civil, criminal, maritime, insurance, commercial, employment and telecommunications matters, I also have a particular interest in real estate. I regularly handle arbitrations and acted for a number of clients in the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) in addition to other forums of alternative dispute resolution

Hamdan is a UAE national, educated at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom and has nearly a decade of successful litigation experience across the United Arab Emirates. He started his career in the Banking & Finance department of Al Tamimi & Co in the DIFC office. Furthermore, whilst being part of the Banking & Finance department he also participated in many cases in other departments out of his interest to learn more. In this time he qualified as a practitioner in the UAE and therefore represents clients in the UAE courts including Dubai. He then joined the Infrastructure Department at Mubadala Development Company in Abu Dhabi. In Mubadala he got involved in the finance department taking part in large university and other infrastructure turn-key projects which involved real estate, construction and finance matters. After setting up Hamdan Alshamsi Lawyers & legal Consultants “HAS”, he decided to set up a full-fledged practice including advisory and transactional work and ever since overseen more than 500 litigation disputes in the UAE courts, DIFC courts and various different arbitration centers and has advised in more than 130 transactions and advisory matters. Hamdan has built one of Dubai’s most reputable and respected Emirati law practices. He is widely regarded as a top litigator in the Dubai Courts with extensive experience in corporate, banking & finance, and insurance law. Hamdan advises both local and international companies as well as governmental entities in cases involving complex transactional disputes. Professional Experience Negotiated with creditors on behalf of a construction client, represented the management in the criminal and civil cases involved with cheques and guarantees, represented the company in labor cases in light of insolvency and before the Ministry of Labor, advised in relationships between cross border insolvency of group companies. On behalf of a client in the consultancy industry, Hamdan assisted in various claims between creditors and the debtors of the company and the arrangement of the winding up of the business. Advised a company in the food and beverage wholesale industry. Hamdan assisted with the preparation of the winding up process, provided advice to the shareholders and the management in relation to insolvency, restructure of operation and company to mitigate losses. Represented the company in the Litigation between the creditors and debtors and the previous management, assisted with the wind-up process. For a client in the exhibitions industry, Hamdan was involved in litigation including criminal, civil and defending the management of company, concluding with planning and structuring the insolvency. Advised in the insolvency of several companies under a group owned conglomerate, dealing and assisting with the current liquidator of the company in cases against the previous management and other creditors and debtors of the company, including asset search and recovery. Hamdan has dealt in various civil and criminal litigation surrounding insolvency and bankruptcy. Hamdan has assisted in the insolvency of a very large manufacturing company, dealing with the banks and the creditors with the focus on guarantees, dealing with the labor aspect, the shareholders and the liquidator. Involved in the insolvency of the company. Hamdan assisted with the insolvency of a large Marine company, dealing with the litigation between the partners of the company and the management. Involved in winding up the business. Assisted in the insolvency of a Heavy-Duty Equipment Company, dealing with the litigation between the partners of the company and the management team and winding up the company. Involved in the Bank J. Safra Sarasin DIFC in its insolvency, this incorporated both DIFC Law and English Law. Assisting in the application to obtain an order to wind up the company and assist the main creditor in recovery of owed monies. Advised on a number of large infrastructure PPP projects including a large University project in a multilateral non-recourse financing with mezzanine facility worth circa $1 billion. Hamdan has been Involved in a number of Insolvency cases but his experience is not limited to this practice, Hamdan has worked on a variety of transactions and projects throughout his experience, he has advised and assisted in establishing a number of companies and subsidiaries in Dubai and successfully advised a number of national and international companies including prominent banks in their corporate restructure and corporate governance.

The firm has extensive experience in advising private clients including high net-worth clients and families (having businesses / assets across multiple jurisdictions and industry sectors) on their succession and estate planning matters including establishing trust and foundation structures, Wills, family constitutions and shareholders agreements. Our Experience extends to advising listed and unlisted corporate entities on all aspects of corporate law, corporate governance matters, government bids, joint ventures and shareholder related matters (including dispute resolution), commercial arbitration and court approved amalgamations.

Sam is a founding partner of the Firm and heads the Banking and Finance Department. He has been practicing as a lawyer for almost 45 years and is recognised as a leading authority on land law and in the Ugandan banking and financial services sector. His main areas of practice include banking and finance, real estate, agriculture and litigation. Over the years, Sam has distinguished himself across numerous sectors within the law. Prior to joining KAA, he worked with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa a Legal Adviser on the Transcontinental Highway from Lagos to Mombasa and was the Bank Secretary at the Uganda Development Bank. He was retained as a legal consultant by the World Bank and worked on setting up the legal framework for the Northern Corridor Transport and Transit Organisation. A respected draftsperson and writer, Sam represented the Uganda Bankers Association in the drafting of the present code of conduct of Ugandan Banks, and was part of the team that drafted the current Financial Institutions Act, the Condominium Properties Act, Expropriated Properties Act, East African Development Bank Act, among others. Sam is a notable writer and has published numerous legal publications. Sam has represented various clients in litigation matters pertaining to banking and finance, constitutional petitions, land law and insolvency laws. He has represented the President of Uganda in three presidential election petitions. Professional Memberships - Uganda Law Society - East African Law Society Professional Qualifications - Master of Laws (LL.M) from Makerere University - Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Law Development Centre - Bachelor of Laws (LL.B), Makerere University Employment History - 2001 – Present: Senior Partner, Kampala Associated Advocates - 1999 – 2001: Partner, Sam Mayanja & Co. Advocates - 1989 – 1999: Bank Secretary, Uganda Development Bank - 1977 – 1981: Lecturer in Law, Law Development Centre Top Matters - Involved in a tripartite negotiation between East African Development Bank, Centenary Rural Development Bank and Muddu Oils Ltd to reschedule a loan. - Headed the team that carried out debt collection for Civil Aviation Authority where UGX. 54,000,000,000 was recovered. - Heading a team that is overseeing the collection of over UGX.1,500,000,000 out of an assigned portfolio of UGX.3,000,000,000 from various unsecured loan defaulters of Barclays Bank Uganda Limited. - Advised the Bank of Uganda (Agricultural Policy Secretariat) on how to handle the Ginnery loans extended to cotton ginneries by the World Bank through the now defunct Co-operative Bank. - Acted as a legal adviser to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa on the Trans-African Highways Programme, where he helped set up the Secretariat of the Trans-Africa Highway Authority (Lagos-Mombasa) at Bangui, Central African Republic. - He also assisted the Ministry of Finance in its negotiations with Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) on its assumption of the Ginnery loans formerly handled by the Cooperative Bank. - Successfully negotiated a Sembule Group of Companies Loan dispute settlement between Bank of Uganda, PTA Bank and the Sembule Group of Companies. The original principal amount involved was US$ 6.5 million. - Appointed Consultant by NPART (Uganda Commercial Bank Non-performing Trust) to help the recovering of the Uganda Commercial Bank non-performing loans. - Advised the Bank of Uganda (Agricultural Policy Secretariat) on how to handle the ginnery loans extended to the Cotton Ginneries by World Bank through Co-operative Bank – under liquidation. - Appointed by the Ministry of Finance to negotiate with Standard Chartered Bank for that Bank to take over the Ginnery Loans formerly handled by the Co-operative Bank. - Acted on behalf of M/s SGS, an international Swiss company in debt collection. - Represented the Uganda Development Bank on the Uganda Bankers Association and helped draft the present code of conduct for association. - Represented Uganda Development Bank on the Board of Directors of Uganda Institute of Bankers. - Assisted in drafting the current Financial Institutions Act during its formative years as a member of the drafting committee of this Bill in the Uganda Banker’s Association. - Appointed World Bank Consultant to review and update the Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Agreement. The Northern Corridor Transit and Transport Authority consists of the Republic of Kenya, The Republic of Uganda, The Republic of DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and South Sudan. This contract is on-going up to 31st March 2020.