Mr Laubach has been practicing as a legal consultant in the UAE since 1986. He advises on general corporate matters, contracts and government procurements, project finance, employment, and international trade controls.

Mr Laubach has been involved in numerous high monetary value financing and re-financing transactions. In addition, he provides specialised expertise regarding US, UN and other sanctions, boycotts and controls affecting exports to, investments in and transactions with certain designated countries and with regard to the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other bribery prohibitions.

Since the late 1990s, Mr Laubach has been the author of the standard industry UAE law opinions on the various financial agreements used by the ICMA and the SLRC, enabling ICMA and SLRC members to enter into complex financial transactions with counterparties in the UAE.

Mr Laubach is well versed in all aspects of UAE and DIFC employment matters and assists clients in preparing employment documentation, and advises on compensation schemes, incentive schemes, confidentiality and non-compete clauses, and workforce reduction programmes. He assists with the employment aspects of mergers, acquisitions and other corporate restructurings, and handles contentious matters.

Bar Admissions
Pennsylvania Bar
District of Columbia Bar

Education
MA, Islamic Studies University of Pennsylvania, 1985
JD, University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1984
MA, University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, 1981
BA, Dartmouth College, 1979

Significant Accomplishments
Project and Project Finance: Advising bidder (Enron) on first privatization project in the Abu Dhabi water and power sector (Taweelah A-2). Advising lender to bidder (Tractebel-TotalFina) on Taweelah A-1 Project. Advice to lenders in $100 million loan to Abu Dhabi borrowers for the purchase of ships. Advising developer on incorporation of the only military capable shipyard repair facility in the Gulf. Advising major international oil company on bid to join major offshore concession in Abu Dhabi. Advising major international oil company on bid to join Dolphin Project. Natural gas regulatory survey for Abu Dhabi concession holder. Advice to developer in connection with seeking petroleum and gas concession in Abu Dhabi.

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association
• International Bar Association
  

Seminars/ Presentation
• Speaker, Foreign tax crimes & UAE professionals (Academy & Finance conference), UK rules apply to UK banks in UAE; Swiss rules apply to Swiss banks in UAE: what does it mean exactly? Dubai, 16 May 2016 (upcoming)
• Speaker, Webinar with Steptoe & Johnson, and Federal Publications Seminars, The US Contractor’s Guide to Doing Business in the UAE, 22 March 2016
• Speaker, American Conference Institute’s Seventh Middle East Summit on Anti-Corruption, Minimising Compliance Risks in Mergers & Acquisitions: The Top 10 Pitfalls that Acquirers Make During Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence and Integration, Dubai, 21-22 March 2016
• Speaker, Anti Money Laundering Obligations in the UAE: the recent changes (Academy & Finance conference), Mobilising and Empowering the Regulatory Authorities, Dubai, 15-16 November 2015
• Panelist, Anti Money Laundering Obligations in the UAE: the recent changes (Academy & Finance conference), Clarifying the Sanctions and the Liabilities: administrative sanctions & penal sanctions, Dubai, 15-16 November 2015
• Speaker, American Conference Institute’s Sixth Middle East Summit on Anti-Corruption, Convergence of Compliance - Linking Economic Sanctions, Trade and AML Controls with Your Anti-Corruption Protocol, Dubai, 24-26 February 2015
• Panelist at a seminar on the Civil Code organized by Lexis Middle East and the Dubai Chamber, Civil Transactions: Challenges & Opportunities, December 2014
• Panelist, American Conference Institute’s Inaugural Global Anti-Corruption Regulatory and Enforcement Update, Increased Legislative Activity in the UAE and Saudi Arabia: How to be Proactive Amid Evolving Regulatory Changes, Washington, DC, 14 July 2014
• Panelist, International Law Office (ILO) Global Counsel Congress, Live Q&A: managing the Challenges of New Markets, New York, 12 June 2014

• Deadline for Emiratisation in private sector approaches

  By Charles Laubach, Suditi Surana |September 2022

• Arbitrary termination of employment under the new UAE Labour Law

  By Charles Laubach, Afridi & Angell |February 2022

• UAE Labour Law: Implementing Regulations

  By Charles Laubach, Afridi & Angell |February 2022

Additional Articles• Labour & Employment, 2016 (UAE chapter), Getting the Deal Through
• Anti-Corruption Regulation, 2015 (UAE chapter), Getting the Deal Through
• Labour & Employment, 2015 (UAE chapter), Getting the Deal Through
• Littler Mendelson Guide to International Employment and Labor Law (UAE chapter), Third Edition
• Legal Aspects of Doing Business in the Middle East (UAE chapter)– 2nd edition 2015, Juris Publishing
• International Comparative Legal Guide to Corporate Governance, 2014 (UAE chapter), Global Legal Group
• Employment and Employee Benefits, 2014/2015 (UAE chapter), PLC Multi-Jurisdictional Guide
• International Comparative Legal Guide to Employment and Labour Law, 2011 & 2012 (UAE chapter), Global Legal Group
• Anti-Corruption Compliance in the United Arab Emirates, The American Lawyer, Middle East Report, October 2011