History

Created in June 2007 at the founding meeting of the Board of Directors of its predecessor entity Dubai Corporate Counsel Group, the rebranded Corporate Counsel Middle East ("CCME") has been led from the beginning by in-house counsel themselves who came together and saw the need for the group. Many of the founders came to practice law in Dubai from abroad and had previously belonged to an in-house counsel organisation in their home jurisdiction. These lawyers came together to form the Board of Directors to plan and launch the group in Dubai. The Board of Directors met monthly and selected a date for the launch of the group upon the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan in 2007. On 24 October 2007, the group held its public launch as the Dubai Corporate Counsel Group with a gala evening event at the Dubai International Marine Centre. Over 90 in-house counsels from Dubai and Abu Dhabi attended the inaugural event. Leading local lawyer Essam Al Tamimi served as the keynote speaker giving a preview of expected upcoming changes in the UAE legal environment. Interest and membership in the group grew exponentially, and members from jurisdictions outside the UAE joined.  In 2011 the group rebranded and expanded its operations to the Middle East region.  Since then, the Board of Directors has continued to organize and plan regular events in Middle East region hotels in conjunction with law firms.