Biography
Sarah Malik is an award-winning lawyer who founded SOL International Ltd, a boutique legal consultancy registered at the ADGM in 2018. Sarah achieved ‘Litigator of the Year’ (2022) at the first GCC Women in Law Awards and received an honourable mention as ‘Law Firm Leader of the Year’ category at the same awards. In March 2022, SOL was named by Legal 500 EMEA as ‘A Firm to Watch in Dispute Resolution: Arbitration and International Litigation’.
Sarah practises commercial litigation at the DIFC and ADGM Courts. Sarah was instructed as Counsel on the first race discrimination claim against a multi-national bank before the DIFC Courts in 2023. She also successfully mediated a 7-figure dispute in the UK in relation to a company dispute. SOL was instructed on a multi-million dollar claim that involved complex jurisdictional issues between the Dubai Courts and the DIFC that was placed before the Joint Judicial Committee. SOL are also instructed on a multi-million dispute with 13 defendants at the ADGM Courts, representing the interest of one defendant.
In May 2024, Sarah presented a keynote speech at the ILS Summit at the beginning of London International Disputes Week, held at Herbert Smith Freehills on the Middle East as the new hub for dispute resolution. Her keynote speech was then published as an article distributed worldwide by CIARB in September 2024.
Sarah undertakes all aspects of employment work and has a busy employment law practice, both contentious and non-contentious, at the DIFC and the ADGM Courts as well as undertaking cross border employment matters. In addition, she runs high-level disputes and negotiates senior level severance packages.
She has carried out investigations and disciplinary meetings on behalf of clients in the UAE and internationally with a track record of high-profile investigations. Within the DIFC, she is the go-to lawyer to settle lawyer disputes between lawyers and law firms.
Sarah is appointed to the DIFC Court Users' Committee.
Sarah has a busy litigation and dispute resolution practice and teaches for the DIFC Academy. She is often used as external counsel and advocate by law firms and in-house clients and acts as personal advisor to Ultra High Net Worth private clients.
Prior to founding SOL, Sarah practised as a Barrister at a leading set of Commercial Chambers in London for fifteen years, worked as employed Counsel at a prominent UK law firm for two years and headed the Advocacy and Investigations team of an international law firm in Dubai for three and a half years. She is known as a straight-talking, no-nonsense lawyer and her approach and commitment has resulted in a loyal client following.