Margaret McKenzie

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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The leading law firm in the Middle East & North Africa region.

Margaret McKenzie

Associate

Biography

Margaret McKenzie is an Associate in the Corporate Commercial Department at Al Tamimi & Company in Kuwait. Ms. McKenzie counsels Kuwaiti and international corporate clients on a variety of issues. Her practice ranges from international transactions to local corporate, commercial, and employment law matters. She advises clients on a variety of issues including data protection, defense contracting, healthcare, privacy, e-commerce, and labour issues. She provides a range of legal advice to companies including reviewing their online policies and advising on data breaches. She also drafts and reviews employment contracts, advises on end of service benefits, HR policies, and considerations for employment of expatriate and Kuwaiti nationals. A US qualified attorney, Ms. McKenzie utilises her experience to advise local Kuwaiti and international clients to achieve the best possible outcome for their business.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. McKenzie worked as a legal researcher for the Natural Resource Governance Institute, where she researched local laws and advised on Kuwait and Bahrain’s resource governance. Additionally, Ms. McKenzie worked as a judicial extern in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and drafted legal opinions. She worked on the legal and policy response to the Puerto Rico earthquake as a student attorney. Prior to law school, Ms. McKenzie worked in international development living and working in Jordan and the United States. Ms. McKenzie is a certified mediator and has successfully mediated disputes in universities as well as in small claims courts in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.

Recent Experience

Providing ongoing detailed advice to Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (“KDIPA”) entities – including employment and structuring considerations;
Represented a Kuwaiti company in an arbitration involving the Korean Commercial Arbitration Rules of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, obtaining a final award of 5 million USD for the client plus attorney fees;
Carried out due diligence for chain of jewelry stores in relation to listing in the stock exchange and subsequent IPO;
Providing employer updates to leading international law firm regarding COVID-19 restrictions in relation to the Kuwait Labour Law and Regulations;
Drafting and reviewing suite of contract templates for private companies in the oil sector in Kuwait;
Advised international defense contractors on termination and end of service calculations under Kuwait law;
Provided strategic advice to telecommunications entity on licensing in Kuwait;
Collaborated with the in-house privacy team of cloud computing service providers in respect of the regulatory environment in Kuwait as well as establishment of data centres and cloud computing operations;
Counseled a global streaming platform in respect to content regulation and risks associated with the streaming activity;
Produced cross-jurisdictional terms and conditions, privacy policy, and suite of documents for local online application;
Regularly advising local and international clients on Ministry of Health regulations in Kuwait.

Language(s)

English

Education

2019 – Juris Doctor, State University of New York, Buffalo

2016 – Master of Arts in Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University

2010 – Bachelor of Arts (Honours) & International Study Certificate, Queen’s University, Canada (With study at International Study Centre, Herstmonceux Castle)