Al Tamimi &amp; Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East with 17 offices across nine countries, has confirmed the appointment of Thomas Snider as its new Head of Arbitration.

Harvard Law School educated, Tom joins Al Tamimi as a Partner from a leading international law firm and comes with over 16 years experience specializing in international commercial arbitration, international investment disputes and state-to-state arbitration around the world. He has represented parties in arbitrations involving a range of industries, including oil and gas, mining, automobile manufacturing, and telecommunications, as well as shareholder and joint-venture disputes. He also represented the Government of Ethiopia before the Eritrea-Ethiopia Claims Commission. Who's Who Legal Arbitration has identified Tom as a "future leader".

Tom's appointment comes at a time where arbitration is gaining momentum as a leading form of dispute resolution. The strong growth of international arbitration in the region is reflected in the creation of exciting new arbitral seats and arbitral centers in the UAE and in the Arabian Gulf. Regional arbitration institutions are enhancing their rules as they compete for a share of the increasing caseload, and arbitral seats are cooperating with local and foreign courts to enhance the enforceability of their arbitral awards. Regional courts are demonstrating their commitment to support arbitration and to enforce foreign arbitral awards.

Essam Al Tamimi, Senior Partner at Al Tamimi and a leading international arbitrator commented:

"Tom's appointment could not be timelier. He joins our firm at a time that international arbitration in the UAE and the Middle East is going from strength to strength, as witnessed by the proliferation of arbitral institutions and rules in the region.

I am confident that Tom's extensive experience in international arbitration will enable him to ensure the continued growth and development of the practice across the region as arbitration continues to be the preferred method of resolving complex, high-value disputes."

Thomas Snider commented:

<em>Joining the leading law firm in the Middle East is an exciting move for me professionally, and I am very much looking forward to working with the highly regarded team to further build the profile of arbitration at Al Tamimi across the region and globally."</em>