"Very business-savvy, with strong negotiation skills and an impressive ability to manage multi-jurisdictional teams."
Chambers Global 2024
Ranked – Fintech Legal (UAE)
Chambers FinTech 2024
"A highly regarded TMT and FinTech lawyer."
Chambers FinTech 2024
"The best TMT lawyer in Saudi Arabia (…) to tackle large technology infrastructure projects and (…) disputes, in addition to FinTech projects."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
"A trusted advisor who we are confident working with. The quality of work continues to be at an exceptional standard each year."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
"Extremely knowledgeable in his field of work."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
Leading Individual – TMT
The Legal 500 EMEA 2024
"He makes us feel as if he’s a part of our company and he is ready to support us in difficult times."
Chambers Global 2022
"Brian Meenagh brings hands on pragmatism to any negotiation. The depth of his experience both on vendor and customer side smooths negotiations and brings common sense to the negotiating table."
The Legal 500 EMEA 2022
"He demonstrates notable experience in cybersecurity, data privacy and GDPR compliance."
Chambers Global 2022
Profile
Brian Meenagh is Deputy Office Managing Partner of the Riyadh office. His practice focuses primarily on:
Complex technology transactions, projects, and joint ventures
Procurement and sourcing, including outsourcing and offshoring
Data privacy and cybersecurity compliance
Financial technology (fintech) and blockchain technology
He primarily represents customers procuring technology and services in such transactions and has significant experience advising against major technology and software vendors such as accenture, IBM, HP, Oracle, SAP, and TCS as well as numerous other vendors active in the Middle East. He has additional experience advising on:
Cloud computing
Complex technology and data separation issues in M&A transactions
Distribution and procurement of goods and services
Data protection, security, and privacy
E-commerce, m-commerce, and mobile apps
Facilities management
Financial services regulations applicable to technology and outsourcing
Government procurement
Global business services
Media distribution and licensing
Online gaming
Open-source software
Technology development (including traditional and Lean and Agile development methodologies), distribution, and licensing
Before he trained as a solicitor, he worked as a business and IT analyst at Accenture on a variety of outsourcing, business transformation, systems integration, and software development projects for blue chip companies and UK central government.
Brian has also previously been the technology, media, and telecommunications law editor at Lawtel (now part of Westlaw) and has co-written a number of articles and spoken at seminars and client events on the law and best practices in technology contracts and privacy and cyber-security compliance.
Experience
Brian's representative transactions includes advising:
Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM), an Abu Dhabi-based regulator, on a new Foundations Regulatory Regime to facilitate the issuance of blockchain tokens
A UAE representative body on the creation of a joint venture between leading UAE banks to establish a mobile wallet banking platform in the United Arab Emirates
A major global airline based in the Middle East on the procurement of a new passenger service system and various other technology related matters
Various Saudi government entities on major system integration projects, outsourcing agreements, long-term services agreements, or collaborative technology projects
A major GCC retail and motors group based in the Middle East, on a large retail IT project involving various IT agreements to further its omnichannel retail objective
A number of Middle East and global retail and investment banks, on technology, business process, and facilities management outsourcing agreements covering the Middle East and Africa
Various international and Middle East companies on the intellectual property, information technology, and data protection issues arising in M&A and joint venture transactions in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Various overseas companies on the legal, commercial, and regulatory issues relevant to the data protection, privacy, e-commerce, m-commerce, and payment regulations in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
Qualifications
Bar Qualification
England and Wales (Solicitor)
Saudi Arabia (Foreign Consultant)
Education
Legal Practice Course, The College of Law, Birmingham, 2005
Firm honored by Law360 for advising startups, financial institutions, VCs, digital asset and Web3 participants, and corporations on their most innovative and complex transactions, investigations, litigation, and regulatory matters.
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