Hamad is a Senior Legal Consultant based in Dubai and Head of the firm’s Middle East Dispute Resolution Team.
It may be only a short flight from Lebanon to Dubai, but for Hamad the journey between the two reflects very different stages of his life. He spent his childhood in South Lebanon, growing up in a village setting surrounded by countryside, close family and a strong sense of community. Those early years remain an important part of how he sees the world. When he was 17, his family moved to Beirut, where he completed his final year of school and later studied law. Beirut brought a different rhythm to his life and introduced him to broader world; here he spent his late teenage years and early adulthood, moving on from school to the search for a professional path. It was also in Beirut that his interest in law, language and eventually intellectual property began to take shape. Almost 20 years ago, he moved to the UAE, first to Abu Dhabi and later Dubai, where he has gradually built his career and life. If South Lebanon gave him his roots, and Beirut gave him education and direction, Dubai has given him the platform on which to build. Lebanon, - his village, city, and family life there and the memories tied to each - remains central to who he is. But after so many years in Dubai, where he lives with his Lebanese wife, Marwa, and their eight-year-old son, Kamel, he has also come to think of the UAE as a second home.
That balance between attachment and reinvention reflects both his upbringing and the influence of his parents. Throughout, Hamad’s parents impressed on him, and on his younger brother and sister, the importance of education and self-reliance. They gave their children the freedom to choose their own paths, but never wavered in stressing the value of study, discipline and independence. His sister studied economics and now lives and works in Oman, while his brother built a career in restaurant management and has worked in Lebanon, Dubai, Oman and Iraq.
Another reason Hamad has built such a successful life in Dubai is his curiosity, adaptability and ease in connecting with people. He has always been interested in different cultures, and that curiosity shows itself in many ways. From an early age, he was drawn to language and worked hard to improve his English through reading, translation and practice. He also reads widely, especially in history and politics. Music, singing, cooking and poetry are all part of the way he explores cultures and ideas beyond his own immediate world. In his free time, he enjoys preparing different dishes and exploring cuisines beyond Lebanese food, so much so that he likes to joke that opening a restaurant may one day become his retirement project. He also writes Arabic poetry, sometimes sharing it with his colleague and line manager, Bassel El Turk, who also writes poetry. It was through reading, too, that he first discovered intellectual property and began to see it as a possible career path at a time when many of his colleagues thought the idea unrealistic. He saw potential in the field early on and continued to pursue it, even when others were unconvinced.
Hamad graduated from law school in 2004 and initially searched for a career path at home, but with few openings available he began looking further afield. Even so, he continued exploring possibilities in Lebanon until the last moment. In fact, just a week before leaving for Abu Dhabi, he was interviewed for the role of IP Officer at the Ministry of Economy in collaboration with UNDP. He did not get the position, but the encouraging feedback he received confirmed that he was on the right path and strengthened his interest in IP.
On 14 March 2007, he moved to Abu Dhabi, where he worked as an Administrative Assistant in the Public Relations Department of the P.O. of H.H Sheikh Nahyan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, but he already knew that his real interest lay elsewhere. He later joined Saba and Co., a regional IP firm and then, after four years there, decided to broaden his legal experience and moved to The Rights Lawyers, where he handled corporate and commercial matters alongside IP. It was a demanding period, but also an important one, giving him wider experience and a broader understanding of legal practice.
Hamad had admired Rouse for years and saw it as the kind of firm he would one day like to join. In fact, he first interviewed with the firm in 2013 for a secondment arrangement with one of its clients. That opportunity did not work out, but it only reinforced his sense that Rouse was where he wanted to be. So, when the right opening finally came in 2017, following a professionally and financially difficult period, it felt especially significant. He started as a Junior Consultant and now, as Head of the Dispute Resolution Team, holds a leadership role.
Along the way, he completed an LLM from Middlesex University. Rouse, he says, has proved to be everything he hoped it would be. After his first year at the firm, he remarked that one year at Rouse was the equivalent of three years anywhere else, and he still stands by that view. “Rouse,” he says, “is more than just a workplace.” Marwa also works at Rouse, in the Accounts Department, which means that for them the firm has become something of a family affair.
That sense of family remains central to Hamad’s life. He wants to give Kamel the same support and guidance that he received from his own parents. Recently, he began talking to him about the importance of self-reliance and independence. Kamel listened carefully before replying, “Yes, I understand. I will get a job at the office (i.e., Rouse)”. It was a funny moment, but perhaps also a telling one. For Hamad, family, work and values are closely connected and always have been.