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The 2025 Healthcare Odyssey
Welcome to the first edition of Law Update for 2025. As we begin this exciting year, we are pleased to turn our attention to one of the most dynamic sectors in the UAE and the broader GCC region – healthcare. Over the past several years, the region has seen unprecedented growth in this sector, driven by legislative advancements, technological innovations, and the increasing focus on sustainability and AI. As such, healthcare is set to be one of the most important sectors in the coming decade.
In this issue, we explore key themes that are significantly shaping the future of healthcare in the UAE, such as recent changes in foreign ownership laws. These reforms present a major opportunity for foreign investors, opening up new avenues for international collaborations and improving the overall healthcare infrastructure. The changes in ownership laws are an important milestone, and we provide an analysis of what this means for the industry and the various players involved.
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A complete spectrum of legal services across jurisdictions in the Middle East & North Africa.
Gretta Habib
Senior Associate
Biography
Gretta is a seasoned corporate lawyer with a Lebanese and foreign educational background and expertise in all types of corporate transactions and in complex restructuring matters. She provides legal advice to corporate clients, ranging from the SMEs, to family groups and multinational companies, all from diverse business sectors including inter alia, banking and financial institutions, real estate, construction and property development, insurance and reinsurance, hospitality, franchise, energy and infrastructure, healthcare, information technology, telecommunication and e-commerce.
She has extensive knowledge of corporate and commercial laws including, UAE Commercial Companies Law and specializes in contracts, business start-ups, structuring and re-structuring, M&As, JVs and corporate alliances, legal due diligence, corporate governance, management and board structure, debt financing and contentious shareholders’ disputes, labor and employment, with the ability to handle complex and cross-border legal issues promptly and effectively.
Gretta is member of the ICC listed arbitrators and has also acted as counsel in numerous ad-hoc and institutional commercial arbitration and is a lecturer in Commercial and Corporate Law at USEK University-Lebanon.
Recent Experience
- Advising one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the Gulf region on the legality of carrying out operating derivative remunerated activities in pursuance of its current license.
- Assisting in drafting a Law Update article about Sharjah Healthcare City Free Zone.
- Assisting a global leading company in building material and solutions in the renewal of its license in pursuance of new applicable regulations before Fujairah Authorities and in the waiver of AED 1 Million imposed for license renewal by Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation.
- Advising a Cement Company on the transfer of business transaction to its subsidiary.
- Advising a multinational tobacco distribution group on its corporate structure and in the restructuring of its cross borders corporate model.
- Assisting in the establishment of a Company in Sharjah and issuance of permits for the purpose of acquiring a Hospital in Sharjah.
- Advising on deregistration of companies established in RAKEZ and reactivation of License.
- Representing a renowned international automotive manufacturing company in a litigation dispute against its regional distributor.
- Advising and assisting foreign investors in the purchase and acquisition of a Food and Beverage Distribution Company in Sharjah and drafting related documentations.
- Drafting Nominee Agreement and Dividend Instruction Letter and drafting Termination of Agreement and Settlement and Mutual Waivers’ Agreement between shareholders of a Digital and Tech Company established in Dubai.
- Advising and representing a reputable Royal Family in the UAE in relation to a family dispute.
Language(s)
- Arabic
- English
- French
Education
2006 – Master’s Degree (Private International Law and International Trade), University of Paris II Pantheon-ASSAS, Law School, France
2005 – Lebanese Law Degree (Private Law), Saint-Joseph University, Lebanon
Admission
2007 – Member of Beirut Bar Association
Practice(s)
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