Leadership
Founder & Principal
Charles Salem Hallab
Charles Salem Hallab brings to Barrington Global a quarter century of experience successfully advising clients on a wide range of high-impact and high-value cross-border matters – from mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures to major projects, investments and disputes, and from key crises and compliance matters to international regulations, reorganizations and initiatives. Charles also regularly advises and coordinates on multiple aspects of expanding, contracting or operating internationally, including Compliance, ESG, Employment, Finance, IP and Tax.
​
Charles has led key practices, groups and initiatives at two of the largest and most prominent law firms in the world (Baker McKenzie and Mayer Brown), including Corporate & Securities, Joint Venture & Strategic Alliance, Middle East and Climate Change & Sustainability Transactions. Most recently, Charles chaired both the Middle East Practice and the International Joint Venture Practice at Mayer Brown.
​
Charles has distinguished himself and his advisory with a strong business orientation and a reputation as a trusted international problem-solver. He has repeatedly been named a Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting, and he is widely regarded for his expertise, his trustworthiness, his friendliness as a person and his user friendliness as an advisor.
​
Charles prides himself on his ability to work very well across divisional lines (whether internal or external), across cultures and across personalities, and he strives to define himself professionally and personally by his humanity and humility, including with a highly positive outlook, a respectful and supportive disposition, a commitment to integrity and a drive for collective success.
BTI ALL STAR​
-
Washington D.C. / Riyadh / Dubai
-
Practice Area: Corporate, Securities & Securities Litigation
-
BTI Client Service All-Star History: 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020
CLIENT PHILOSOPHY
"Simply put, it should not be about justifying or celebrating one’s existence as a lawyer, but about understanding and achieving the client’s objectives, as an effective and efficient partner.
​
WHAT CLIENTS SAY
“Charles knows our business.”
“He understands our needs and makes proactive suggestions for things we should do.”
“He keeps us aware of new developments that are important for us to know about.”
Mayer Brown LLP
Washington D.C./ Dubai
​
-
Senior Legal and Strategic Advisor
-
Chair, Joint Venture and Strategic Alliance Initiative
-
Chair, Middle East Practice
-
Lead M&A Partner, Washington D.C.
-
Member, Europe, Middle East and Africa Managing Partner Board
-
Member, ESG Initiative (ESG Lead for Middle East)
Education
​
-
Georgetown University – The Robert Emmet McDonough School of Business, MBA 1998
-
Georgetown University Law Center, JD 1998
-
George Washington University, BA 1994, International Affairs / Economics
Baker McKenzie
Chicago, IL/ Washington D.C.
​
-
Partner/Principal, January 2007 to November 2015
-
Chair, Corporate & Securities Group, Washington DC
-
Chair, International Joint Venture, Strategic Alliance and Commercial Agreements Practice
-
Chair, North American (NA) Middle East Practice
-
Co-Head, NA Climate Change and Sustainability Transactional Practice
-
Member, NA Firm Oversight Committee
-
Hiring Partner
-
Bar Admission
​
-
Illinois 1998 to 2020
-
District of Columbia 1999 to present
Recent News, Publications and Events
-
B20 Policy Paper on Integrity and Compliance; G20/B20 Joint Statement on COVID 19; B20-UNDP Joint Statement on Accountability and Anti-Corruption in the Age of a Global Pandemic
-
ESG: An Introduction to the Issues
-
Venturing Into New Lands: Forming and Managing International Joint Ventures
-
Good Deals Gone Bad: Structuring Joint Venture Transactions to Minimize Risks and Disputes
-
Six Mayer Brown partners named “Client Service All-Stars” by BTI Consulting
-
The Improving Case for Joint Ventures in the Middle East: A Look at Two Key Jurisdictions
-
Arab Female Empowerment and Workforce Growth Roundtable
-
Managing & Resolving Commercial Disputes: Arbitration & Mediation in the Middle East
-
How Saudi Companies Should Partner with Multinational Companies
Roles, Contributions and Other Items of Note
-
Led multiple strategically and financially important practices, teams and initiatives around the world for major global firms, including (a) successful leadership roles for the Corporate & Securities Group, the Joint Venture, Strategic Alliance and Commercial Agreements Practice, the Middle East Practice and the Climate Change and Sustainability Transactional Practice, and (b) successful management roles with oversight responsibility for North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Hiring.
-
Managed the creation of the Middle East Practice for a global law firm, including the opening and expansion of a Dubai Office, Saudi alliances and other regional associations.
-
Managed over 200 acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic and commercial alliances around the world, including numerous multi-billion dollar transactions and projects.
-
Served as trusted international counsel (a) for a variety of clients from major multinationals to early-stage start-ups, from business magnates to senior royals, and from major governments to non-profit institutions, (b) across a spectrum of industries, with extensive experience in logistics, defense, chemicals, services, climate, life sciences, food & beverage, consumer products, retail and hospitality, and (c) in varied legal regimes, with broad experience in both Civil Law and Common Law jurisdictions.
-
Advised successfully on a large number of critical compliance and crisis management matters for clients around the globe, from anti-corruption and criminal investigations to military takeovers and evacuations to peace negotiations and commercial resolutions.
-
Personally developed a comprehensive Commercial Intranet Practice Support Platform, including an array of templates and precedents for Joint Venture, strategic alliance and commecial agreements.
