Melissa Murray

I am the Head of Country for the UAE, the Head of Intellectual Property for the Middle East, and the global co-head of Franchising. I've practised in the UAE since 2006 and I'm ranked in IP Stars, Chambers & Partners, Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal for my commercial and intellectual property experience.

I advise our clients on intellectual property, commercial, corporate and general litigation matters relating to their operations in the UAE and the wider Middle East region. This covers matters such as IT, IP, trademark protection, franchising, and commercial licensing of intellectual property, media, healthcare, consumer protection and regulatory issues. I particularly specialise in franchising, distribution and supply agreements having acted for some of the world largest brands when licensing their intellectual property in the Middle East.

My professional memberships include INTA, the American Bar Association as well as a number of UAE, UK, USA, and Australian business associations. I'm also a member the Franchising Committee of the International Bar Association. I also regularly write chapters for legal text books such as the Franchise Law Review, the Life Sciences Reviews, the Franchise Law Journal, the IBA's newsletters and Middle East journals and I'm regularly invited to speak at events throughout the GCC.

Awards
Franchise Leader of the Year, Arab Franchise Awards, 2023
Woman Lawyer of the Year (Law Firm), ALB Middle East Law Awards 2022, 2023 and 2024
Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year, Legal Era Middle East Law Awards 2021-22, 2023-24 and 2024-25