Expertise

Malak is an associate with over 7 years’ experience advising clients in the Middle East, including KSA on construction and engineering transactions. Malak has advised governmental departments, PIF development companies, sponsors, and international contractors on major real estate, construction and infrastructure projects in the Middle East. This has included several GIGA projects in Saudi Arabia.

Malak's experience includes drafting bespoke development agreements and FIDIC based construction and consultancy agreements in Arabic and English. She has previously led on all of the Arabic drafting for numerous PIF development companies in Saudi Arabia on their development agreements, construction and engineering contracts, and their consultancy documentation

Experience
  • PIF development company – drafting development agreements and other ancillary contractual documentation in Arabic and English languages for multiple hotels and multi-use facilities in Saudi Arabia. Also provided high-value legal advice in relation to a significant infrastructure asset. This included the change in law mechanism in the FIDIC Red Book (as amended). 
  • PIF development company – drafting consultancy documentation in relation to the re-development of Makkah in Saudia Arabia. This involved advising and providing legal support to the procuring authority for a multi-million-dollar major design competition. 
  • PIF development company – drafting template suite of contracts in Arabic and English, including FIDIC Red and Green Books, consultancy documentation, general services agreements, NDAs, purchase orders, and master services agreements with KPIs to be used for multi-billion-dollar infrastructure programme in Saudi Arabia. 
  • Economic Free Zones Authority – advising the regulatory authority in Saudi Arabia on the laws, regulations, and agreements for the development, maintenance and operation of two new major economic cities and the port. This work involved undertaking a gap analysis and drafting comprehensive reports on the development agreements and other real estate, construction and infrastructure documentation. This legal work was carried out in English and in Arabic with the comprehensive reports (in excess of 200 pages in Arabic).
  • Regeneration Project – advising on the regeneration of two neighbourhoods within Saudi Arabia. This work involved a review of all existing laws and regulations that may apply to the regeneration projects and advising on their application/implementation on the projects, including proposed amendments to these laws and regulations.
  • US Logistics Company – advising tenderer on its bid to design, build and operate an automated logistics facility valued in excess of $1bn in Saudi Arabia.
  • Abu Dhabi government – advising Abu Dhabi government in 2024 on its standard construction documentation based on the FIDIC suite of contracts for the Abu-Dhabi Project and Infrastructure Centre. Malak led on several aspects of the English drafting and led on all of the Arabic drafting for the Abu Dhabi suite of construction documentation. This transaction received FIDIC Contract Users Award 2024. 
  • Waste Water PPP Project - Advising lenders in relation to the Al Wakra and Al Wukair Sewage Treatment Plant PPP Project in the Middle East.
  • Process Engineering Facility – drafting the template Equipment Supply and Installation contracts, Equipment Supply contracts, and the template for construction and engineering contracts for a process engineering facility in the Middle East.
  • A Major Japanese EPC contractor - advising an EPC contractor on its EPC contract during the tender stage for an energy project in the Middle East.
  • Transport PPP Project – advising on discrete elements in relation to transport a PPP project in the Middle East. 
  • Major European Contractor – advising on construction dispute valued at SAR 500m on housing projects on issues related to variations, COVID, changing laws, extension of time and prolongation costs.
Education
  • Qatar University College of Law – Master's degree, dissertation in Alternative Dispute Resolution in PPP projects in Qatar and the United Kingdom (2024)
  • Qatar University College of Law – Bachelor's degree (2016)
Publications
  • The Legal 500: Construction Country Comparative Guide 2024 - Saudi Arabia Chapter
  • The Legal 500: Construction Country Comparative Guide 2023 - Saudi Arabia Chapter
Languages
  • Arabic – Native 
  • English – Fluent