Joint Ventures
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Joint ventures can be one of the most effective ways to enter a new market, combine resources, or deploy capital alongside a strategic partner. They can also become one of the most significant sources of dispute if the terms are not thought through carefully at the outset.
The issues that cause problems in joint ventures are almost always the ones that seemed fine to leave vague at the start: who makes decisions when the partners disagree, how profits are shared when the business changes shape, what happens if one partner wants to exit. We make sure these questions are answered clearly in the documents before the relationship begins.
We have advised on joint ventures across the UAE, GCC, India, Japan, and beyond, in industries including healthcare, food and beverage, technology, chemicals, and cloud kitchens. We work with both local and international parties, and understand the particular dynamics of joint ventures in the UAE and GCC context.
The commercial terms of a joint venture are usually agreed relatively quickly. The legal structure takes longer, and rightly so. Before the documents are drafted, the parties need to be aligned on governance, decision-making rights, funding obligations, profit distribution, what happens on deadlock, and how either party can exit if the relationship changes.
We work with clients to think through these questions before they become problems, and to structure the joint venture in a way that protects their position while still being workable for both sides.
