Lawyers / Sonia Barber
Sonia Barber is an internationally recognised lawyer and Senior Of-Counsel with the firm. Ms. Barber has practiced in the Middle East for almost 20 years, advising clients on all facets of their operations. Prior to her current role, Ms. Barber was for a number of years, Group General Counsel for a member of Qatar’s ruling family’s holding company, and was previously a partner for many years with the global law firm, where she assisted clients from the Gulf region, as well as outside of the Gulf, to access large-scale projects.
Specifically, Ms. Barber counsels clients from a host of industries, including hospitality, healthcare, security and defence, oil and gas, construction and architectural engineering and events, in all facets of development projects, from drafting and negotiating project agreements to drafting commercial leases, agency, management, dispute resolution, licensing, governance documents, structuring agreements and employment contracts.
- Acquisition of QAR140,000,000 contracting company.
- Advice and negotiation of numerous player purchase and transfer agreements.
- Dispute advice and management, and instructing international counsel in ICC arbitration, leading to successfully negotiated settlement.
- Advised and led client evaluating and litigating complex billion Qatari Riyal construction disputes.
- Advised on, drafted and negotiating management agreements, technical services agreements, trademark services agreements and related agreements for hotel owners and operators.
- Advised on, drafted and negotiated commercial lease, distributorships, joint ventures and license agreements and advised on all aspects of corporate structuring.
- Director, De Motu Cordis, 2015 – to date.
- Queensland Chapter Chair and National Director, Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 2011 – 2014.
- Founding member and director, Intermittent Vice Chair, ANZBIQ (now QANZBA), 2004 – 2008.