Melissa Forbes-Miranda
Partner
Melissa is a corporate and commercial Partner based in Dubai with extensive experience in corporate and commercial advisory matters across the Middle East region.
Partner
Melissa is a corporate and commercial Partner based in Dubai with extensive experience in corporate and commercial advisory matters across the Middle East region.
Languages - English
Jurisdictions - England & Wales, New South Wales (Australia), United Arab Emirates
Melissa is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer who advises on both regional and cross-border corporate deals and various corporate and commercial legal issues.
Having been based in Dubai for over 15 years, Melissa is a trusted advisor and key point of contact to many multinational and regional clients for their legal needs across the Middle East region.
Melissa has a reputation for providing legal advice that is commercially relevant, on-point, adds value and is strategic to the needs of the client. Her standing as a leading corporate lawyer in the Middle East region is evident from the various awards and accolades that she has received.
Melissa’s practice focuses primarily on M&A, joint ventures, restructuring and insolvency, FDI (foreign direct investment), corporate and shareholder disputes, and private equity / venture capital.
She also has expertise in commercial, outsourcing and technology mandates such as distribution and agency arrangements, franchising and licensing, regulatory issues (particularly licensing, competition law and corporate governance issues), hotel management agreements, supply and service agreements, and commercial disputes.
Melissa has a particularly strong reputation for her expertise in the technology sector, having worked on various matters relating to data centres, cybersecurity, defence technology, healthcare technology, technology product manufacturing and distribution, software licensing and development, fintech, e-commerce, online advertising and media, internet of things (IOT), blockchain / cryptocurrency and cleantech.
Melissa also has clients that span across a broad range of other sectors, including financial services, insurance, life sciences, healthcare, industrials and manufacturing, consumer, real estate and construction, professional services (particularly education), and hotels and leisure.
Acquisition of data centre
Advised a syndicate of banks and financial institutions on the sale of secured assets recovered from a defaulting borrower group to a UAE-based telecommunications services provider. These assets comprise of key tangible and non-tangible assets required for the operation of a data centre housing critical data for various government and semi-government entities within the UAE.Acquisition of healthcare informatics solutions group
Advised IQVIA, a global provider of healthcare information, services and technology on its acquisition of Dimensions Healthcare, a Middle Eastern healthcare informatics solutions group.Acquisition of investment stake in ‘buy now, pay later’ fintech business
Advised Afterpay and AP Ventures on the acquisition of an equity stake in Postpay, a UAE-based “buy now, pay later” fintech business that operates in the Middle East.Acquisition of equity stake in French biopharmaceutical company
Advised Gulf Pharmaceuticals (Julphar) on its acquisition of an equity stake in Quantum Genomics, a French-based company that is listed on the Euronext Growth stock exchange.Acquisition of Jebel Ali School by Taleem PJSC
Advised Taleem PJSC, a UAE-based school operator group, on the simultaneous acquisition of Jebel Ali School, along with the freehold title to the real estate that the school operates on.Joint venture for the development and operation of W Dubai – The Palm Hotel
Advised a family office on a joint venture for the development and operation of W Dubai – The Palm Hotel.Capital restructure of ADGM-based digital bank
Advised an ADGM-based digital bank on a capital restructure.EQT Partners acquisition of joint venture partner’s stake in VFS Global
Advised EQT Partners on the buyout, through its subsidiary VFS Global, of the entire stake of its joint venture partner (TasHeel Group) in a global visa processing service provider business.Rhone Capital acquisition of wellbore services division of Schlumberger
Advised Rhone Capital on the acquisition, through its subsidiary Wellbore Integrity Solutions, of the UAE wellbore services division of Schlumberger.Series A investment round of Pemo
Advised Augmentum Fintech on its Series A investment in Payable Technology Holding Limited which holds Pemo, an innovative expense management solution serving customers across the Middle East.
