Curtis Expands Dubai Office with Addition of Two Lawyers

New York, April 6, 2011 - Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP has announced the addition of two more lawyers to the international law firm's growing Dubai (UAE) office. Gayle E. Hanlon has joined Curtis as Counsel while Camille Silla Paldi comes to the firm as an Associate.

'We are excited to welcome these two experienced and knowledgeable international lawyers to Curtis in Dubai,' said Bruce Palmer, regional managing partner for Curtis Dubai. 'Their many years of experience and expertise will enable us to accelerate our growth in both the UAE and the Middle East overall as a leading international law firm.'

Ms. Hanlon, together with other GCC-based colleagues, will assist in the establishment of the firm's Abu Dhabi practice as well as the further development of the firm's real property and construction law projects in the UAE. She will also contribute to the ongoing development of the firm's UAE commercial practice, given her acknowledged expertise in UAE intellectual property and commercial laws.

She has substantial local legal experience in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, having worked in the private and government sectors over the past three years by means of her affiliation with a leading local law firm, Hadef & Partners, as well as the Abu Dhabi office of an international law firm. Ms. Hanlon previously was Counsel of a major New York law firm and has also served as the European General Counsel of several major US, German, Swiss and Japanese companies in the banking, automotive and IT sectors.

Ms. Hanlon has specialized in complex cross-border transactions and has extensive expertise in intellectual property law. She has recently counseled certain major UAE governmental entities in respect of their intellectual property transactions. She has also acted as the acting general counsel of a UAE governmental entity in the hospitality and tourism sector.

In addition, Ms. Hanlon has extensive arbitration and dispute resolution experience both in the UAE as well as before international arbitral tribunals.

Gayle is licensed to practice law in New York where she is a member of the New York State Bar Association. She earned her J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law and her B.A. from Stanford University. She also concentrated in European Community Law and ECSC Law at Freie Universität in Berlin. She is an American English speaker and is completely fluent in German and French, with a good working knowledge of Spanish.

Ms. Paldi offers more than a decade of experience in legal matters. She was most recently an associate with Global Advocates and Legal Consultants in Dubai where she focused on real estate matters. She also has experience in construction, arbitration, commercial, corporate, onshore and offshore company formation, immigration, employment and training in Islamic and project finance and litigation. She is licensed to appear before the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) Courts (UAE).

Ms. Paldi is a member of the International Bar Association, Union Internationale des Avocats, Law Society of England & Wales, International Division, and Arab Society for Intellectual Property, the Law Society of New South Wales and New Zealand Law Society and the American, French, and Spanish Business Councils, & British Business Group in Dubai.

Ms. Paldi holds a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law, Australia and England and Wales Alliance, a J.D. in Law from Melbourne University, a Master of International Law from the University of Sydney, a graduate diploma from the London School of Economics and a B.A. from Colgate University.

Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP is a leading international law firm providing a broad range of legal services to clients around the world. Curtis operates through its offices in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Central Asia. The firm's international orientation has been a hallmark of its practice for nearly two centuries. Curtis represents clients across industry sectors, including multinational corporations and financial institutions, governments and state-owned companies, money managers, sovereign wealth funds, family-owned businesses, individuals and entrepreneurs. For more information about Curtis, please visit www.curtis.com.