Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has announced that Jeremy Miocevic has joined the international law firm as a partner in its Dubai office.
Mr. Miocevic's practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, international funds, and general corporate advisory and structuring.
“The addition of Jeremy Miocevic as a partner strengthens Curtis’ position in Dubai and the Middle East,” said Peter F. Stewart, Managing Partner of Curtis in Dubai. “Jeremy’s strong client relationships, both in the region and in specific sectors, will bolster Curtis' ability to help clients in the UAE and throughout the GCC region.”
Mr. Miocevic is moving to Curtis from a prominent UAE law firm, where he was involved in a wide range of local and regional M&A and private equity transactions and advised a number of clients on structuring, establishing and marketing private equity, real estate or other targeted investment funds.
Mr. Miocevic has counseled some of the largest investment banks and private equity firms in the United Arab Emirates, as well as multinational and regional companies. His work covers deals both inside the UAE as well as cross-border transactions within the GCC, Middle East and Africa.
Mr. Miocevic advises the full range of industry sectors, with particular experience in logistics and supply chain management, water treatment, food and beverage, media and publishing, financial services, and retail. He brings to Curtis more than four years of experience practicing in the UAE where he has a strong knowledge of local laws and regulations relating to his areas of practice.
He also previously served as group legal counsel for Ricardo Plc, a global automotive engineering consultancy. Prior to that, Jeremy was Sole Counsel at Kinsford Development Ltd., a UK-owned boutique venture capital company. He also has been a corporate and commercial solicitor at Allens Arthur Robinson, one of Australia’s largest law firms, where he was a member of the M&A team.
Mr. Miocevic received his B.A. in philosophy and his LL.B. with honors from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. He was admitted to the Bar as a barrister and solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1999 and subsequently admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia in 2001.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Jeremy Miocevic Joins Curtis as Corporate Partner in Dubai
Friday, November 6, 2009
Legal Issues in Retention of Employee Passports
The practice of employers retaining their employees’ passports has been justified on the grounds of “safekeeping” and as a foolproof method of ensuring that an employee does not leave the country without the prior knowledge of the employer. Some employers are also known to deny free access to their employees to use their passports or to travel freely. A passport is a formal government document that certifies one’s identity and citizenship and permits a citizen to travel abroad. As a matter of fact, most governments prefer that their citizens exercise caution in agreeing to handover their passports to employers or to any other persons. In most countries, retaining the passport of a person without appropriate judicial authorisation is not permissible. The courts in many GCC countries have consistently held in cases filed by aggrieved employees that passports should not be retained by employers. Further, retention of passports may also be an infringement of the Forced Labour Convention of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which requires member-states ratifying the Convention to undertake to suppress the use of forced or compulsory labour in all its forms within the shortest possible period. Forced or compulsory labour is defined as all work or service which is extracted from a person under the menace of any penalty and for which the person has not offered voluntarily. In the UAE, government circulars have been issued periodically proscribing the practice of retaining employees’ passports. A similar circular was issued in November 2006 in Oman by the Ministry of Manpower upholding the right to retain one’s passport but without prescribing a penalty [or private right of suit] for its infringement. Consequently, enforcement is no easy task. The ostensible justification that employers hold forth is that their employees may be controlling substantial parts of their assets and withholding their passports gives them the leverage to counter any attempt to misuse the authority vested in the employees. But this is a restraint on the right to free movement and could give undue advantage to the employer in a dispute. Further, the Supreme Court has ruled that foreign workers are no longer required to obtain the permission of their employers to seek new employment in Oman. The impact of this ruling could remain largely illusory if the employer retains the passport of the employee seeking new employment. Retention of the employees’ passports may be an efficacious means to exercise control over the employees but it is clearly not a legal option available to employers. This underscores the need for employers and governments to devise a legally enforceable mechanism to remove the uneven bargaining power between parties.
Monday, April 27, 2009
FTA Alert: GCC-South Korea FTA
Leaders from the GCC and South Korea recently held talks in an effort to finalize a GCC-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of this year. The GCC is South Korea’s second largest trading partner, just after China. The FTA is expected to result in a 400% increase in South Korean investments in the UAE, with similar increases expected in Oman.
Oman and South Korea have enjoyed particularly strong ties over the last several years and the FTA will bring great benefits to both countries. Oman exported $5 billion in oil and gas to Korea in 2006, while importing $350 million in Korean products and services in 2006. Korean exports to Oman grew 219% from 2004 to 2006, as Omani exports to Korea grew 207% in the same period.
Further evidence of the strengthening relationship between Oman and Korea can be found in last month’s launch of the Oman-Korea Friendship Association (OKFA). The OKFA will promote friendship and social ties between Oman and Korea. The founding members of the OKFA include senior members of the Suhail Bahwan Group, Oman Trading Establishment, Oman Oil, and Towell Auto Centre, among others.
The FTA will enable both Oman and Korea to further their existing strong relationship and will likely result in greater Korean investment in Oman.
