Omar M. H. Aljazy

Educational Background

Dr. Aljazy holds a PhD in International Commercial Arbitration from the University of Kent at Canterbury in the United Kingdom (1999), a MA in International and Comparative Business Law from London Guildhall University (1994) and a BA in Law from the University of Jordan (1992).

Professional Experience

Dr. Aljazy is the founding Managing Partner of Aljazy & Co. (Advocates & Legal Consultants)  which is a leading Jordanian  law  firm. Aljazy & Co. is distinguished by the depth and scope of its legal advisory services, involved in corporate and financial transactions and complex dispute resolution proceedings. The firm caters to a range of clientele, from national and international commercial businesses and financial institutions, to government and state-owned entities. Consequently, Aljazy & Co.’s leading lawyers are known for their effectiveness in serving clients in environments that others find daunting and unfamiliar. Tacking legal issues quickly, efficiently and with substantial knowledge of the differing legal terrains to conclude deals and resolve complex legal issues across numerous fields and national jurisdictions, Aljazy & Co. boasts unmatched experience in dispute resolution in both national and international arenas.

Dr. Aljazy lends to the practice of law in the Middle East his extensive experience in corporate transactions and arbitration law, as well as international transactions including but not limited to hotels developments, intellectual property, construction disputes, energy, shipping and maritime issues, competition and antitrust matters. He has experience  in dealing with not only private entities, but also with State entities involving public  procurement  and  public  tender  disputes.  Furthermore,  Dr.  Aljazy  holds  extensive  experience  in national, regional and international dispute resolution practices and procedures, having acted as both Counsel and Arbitrator in a wide variety of multi-million arbitration cases (ICSID, ICC, DIAC, Ad-Hoc, etc.).

Dr. Aljazy’s wide spectrum of arbitral cases include his recent representation of the Government of Jordan in an ICSID Arbitration claim filed against Jordan for the amount of USD $800,000,000; the case was successfully settled in favour of the Government of Jordan. Most recently, Dr. Aljazy has led the Government of Jordan’s defense team in a major ICC arbitration case raised by a Turkish energy company under a Project Agreement amounting to USD $460,000,000; the case was seated in Paris and proceedings were conducted in accordance with UNCITRAL rules. Dr. Aljazy continues to act as Counsel on multi-million domestic and international arbitration cases involving construction, investment, telecommunications and commercial matters.

Dr. Aljazy was also engaged as a counsel by the Government of Jordan through the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission in the dispute that was raised by Orange SA before the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), whereby both parties secured an amicable settlement, which he believed, was in favour of the Government of Jordan.

Dr. Aljazy has extensive experience and a depth of legal knowledge and understanding of transport industry issues and trends. He has complete knowledge and experience in the complete range of commercial law services relevant to transport, aviation industry, ports and logistics companies.  Dr. Aljazy served as a former member of the Drafting Committee for the Jordanian Multi-Modal Transport Law and served as a consultant for Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to prepare draft regulations on International Multi Modal Transport (IMMT) freight forwarding licensing and operations in Jordan. During his LLM, Dr. Aljazy studied Aviation Law. He has also participated in the drafting of various Jordanian laws and regulations in conformity with the international conventions that Jordan has ratified including but not limited to Maritime Law and Companies Law.

Dr. Aljazy enjoys extensive experience in Labor Law; he has through the years provided legal advice to various international and national companies  by drafting  employment  contracts,  Internal  By-laws,  obtaining  work permits and representing clients before the Ministry of Labor. Aljazy & Co also represent national and international clients in labor cases before the Jordanian Courts up to the Cassation court.

Dr. Aljazy has previously acted as a Part-Time Lecturer and taught at various academic institutions in Jordan; he lectured on the following topics: Alternative Dispute Resolution and Intellectual Property Rights, Copyright, Commercial Legislation, Legal Environment of Business, Contract of Carriage Goods by Sea, Commercial Law, Companies and Insolvency Law, and History of Law. Active in the academic arena, Dr. Aljazy has a plethora of published works and regularly presents speeches at international conferences on topics including but not limited to: arbitration in Jordan, enforcement of arbitral awards, investment arbitration, arbitration is Islam and harmonization of the Arab Arbitration Laws. He has recently published a book in Arabic on the Jurisdiction  of ICSID Arbitral Tribunals.  He is also the author of the Jordanian Chapter  in the recently published Global Guide “Enforcement of  Investment Treaty Arbitration Awards.”

Dr. Aljazy has taken part as a speaker in many conferences internationally. He took part as a speaker at the Regional  Conference  “International  Commercial  Arbitration”  held by the Talal Abu Ghazaleh  School of business in Amman, Jordan on the 6th May 2012. In June 2012 Dr. Aljazy was invited to speak at the ICC
arbitration training in Amman. On 13th June 2007 he also took part in an arbitration conference which was

organized at the French Cour de Cassation on Aspects of International Arbitration in the Law and Practice of Arab Countries. In March 2003 Dr. Aljazy took part in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) National Seminar on the protection of trademarks and geographical indications organized by WIPO in cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Lebanon. He has recently presented a speech on the timely topic of Ethics in International Arbitration at the Juris Leading Arbitrators’ Conference in Vienna this April 2017.

He has further supplemented his academic and practical knowledge of the field with professional arbitral training, through participating in many training workshops and seminars as a trainer targeting different groups. For example he conducted training for Jordanian  Judges in Jordan IP Week (2003), training for Jordanian Traders  in  Amman Chamber of Commerce (2003), training for Jordanian Shipping Professionals at Institute for Maritime Studies (2004), and training for Lebanese Lawyers in  a colloquium hosted by L’Ecole Supérieur des Affaires (ESA)  2004 in Beirut, on the use of ADR in Intellectual Property Disputes, and training of Syrian Lawyers and Businessmen in a seminar hosted by the ICC Syrian National Committee in Damascus (2004) on the Arbitrability of Trade Marks Disputes.

For a term of seven years, he was the representative of the Jordanian Government to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and is currently the President of the Eisenhower Fellowship Association.   The Eisenhower Fellowship identifies, empowers and links outstanding leaders from around the world, helping them to achieve consequential outcomes across sectors and borders. He himself received  his Fellowship  in 2005 in its Single Region  Program  in recognition  of his leadership  skills and initiatives.

He served as a board member of the Military Credit Fund (MCF) for four years which is considered to be the Armed Forces Bank. The Military Credit Fund was established in 2010 under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, this significant initiative was established for the purpose of serving Jordanians affiliated with the Jordanian Armed Forces and security bodies.
 
Dr. Aljazy was a member of the National Dialogue Committee which that drafted Election law, Political Parties Law and proposed several Constitutional Amendments. This Committee was established in 2011 during one of the most critical phases of the modern history in Jordan.

Dr. Aljazy is also the Jordanian member of the Employment Law Alliance (ELA) which is a single, powerful legal resource for employers. The ELA is a network of over 3000 attorney’s globally providing labour and employment expertise in over 135 countries around the world and in all 50 U.S States.

Dr. Aljazy headed the Founding Committee of Arbitration and Mediation Center for Intellectual Property Disputes established in Jordan under the auspices of the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP). He was a member of the Judicial Reform Committee headed by the Jordanian Minister of Justice. Besides being  a listed  Partner  with  the  United  Nation’s  Conference  on  Trade  and  Development  (UNCTAD) Project on Dispute Settlement in International Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property, he is a listed arbitrator with many prominent arbitral institutes worldwide. He has been listed as Neutral with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), after conducting successfully a WIPO Workshop for Mediators in Intellectual Property Disputes in Geneva (2002). In 2006 he served as a legal expert in the Global Ethics Observatory (GEObs) conducted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris. He is also a listed Transport Law expert with the United Nations Economical Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Dr. Aljazy was one of the experts who drafted the Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) Corporate Governance Country Assessment in Jordan in 2004. He is currently the official correspondent for the Global Competition Review (GCR) in Jordan, and the official correspondent on Howrey Worldwide Competition Filings Handbook.

Dr. Aljazy was one of three international experts who drafted the national strategy for the Jordanian Anti- Corruption Commission in 2008; this was a crucial and sensitive step for Jordan. He was also one of three international experts who drafted the Feasibility Report of the Creation of a Seed Capital Fund and a Venture Capital Fund in Jordan in 2008.

Dr. Aljazy is currently a board member of the Queen Rania Foundation which is headed by Her Majesty Queen Rania as an Honorary President which supervises Her Majesty’s educational and social initiatives. Dr. Aljazy is currently serving as a board member of Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation which is a leading foundation serving the Arab Community by supporting scientific research and innovation in addition to disseminating knowledge with the ultimate goal of building bridges on the foundations of dialogue and communication.

Dr. Aljazy is serving as a board member in various leading Jordanian companies, including and not limited to: Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) which is a partnership between the Jordanian Government and the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), ADC has acquired substantial assets (Land, Port and Airport) and development rights to accelerate their development according to private sector principles and partners, Dr. Aljazy is representing the Jordanian Government in said board, additionally he is a board member of the Jordanian Insurance Commission which is the Jordanian insurance regulatory authority, and a former member of the board of Jordan Authority (JAED) which was considered to be the Higher Investment Council in Jordan, In addition, he was a board member of Aqaba Airports  Company  which  is  in  charge  of  King Hussein  International  Airport  in  Aqaba for five years.  Dr.  Aljazy is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Amman Arab University.

Dr. Aljazy served a board member of the Jordanian Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) which assists health care facilities to meet and maintain quality standards, by enabling health care professionals to measure themselves   against   these   standards   and   monitor   improvements   using   HCAC’s   quality improvement methods. HCAC also identify impediments and develop strategies to overcome them. He is currently a member of the Contractors’ Grading Committee at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing and also is a member of the Permanent Technical Committee for Revising and Interpreting the Unified Construction Contract for Constructions Projects headed by the Minister of Public Works and Housing.

Memberships in Professional Bodies and Associations

Dr. Aljazy is:

• Member of the Board of Trustees Committees of King Abdullah II Fund For Development (KAFD)
• A Member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Competition - Paris; 
• A Member of the ICC Institute of World Business Law Institute - Paris;
• A Member of the ICC Commission on Arbitration - Paris;
• An official correspondent for the Global Competition Review (GCR) in Jordan;
• The Co-Founder and Current President of the Jordanian Competition Association (JCA); 
• A member of the Jordan Bar Association;
• A Member of the International Bar Association (IBA).
• A Member of the National Jordanian ICC Committee;
• A Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the UK; 
• Former President of the Jordanian Arbitrators Association (JAA);
• A Member of the board of the Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP);
• A  Member of ICC Task Force on Criminal Law and Arbitration;
• A Member of Task Force on the “Revision of the ICC Rules of Arbitration”;
• A  Member  of  the  ICC  Task  Force  on  National  Rules  of  Procedure  for  Recognition  and Enforcement of foreign awards pursuant to the New York Convention of 1958;
• A Member of the ICC Consultative Task Force for the Working Group on the Revision of the ADR Rules; A Member of the board of the ASIP’s Mediation and Arbitration Center;
• A Member of the Jordan British Society;
• Member of the World Affairs Council in Jordan;
• Former Vice-Chairman of the Jordanian Corporate Governance Association; A Member of the Board of the Jordan Transparency Association;
• A Member of the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship;
• Former faculty member of the King Talal Business School which was established in 2008 as part of the Princess Sumaya University for Technology.
• A former Officer of the IBA Regional Arab Forum;
• Former faculty Member of the Law School of the University of Jordan; and
• National Competition Committee Member for a total of two terms (four years) established by virtue of the Competition Law.
• A member of the board of Queen Rania Foundation (QRF).

 Awards-Designations

• Aljazy & Co. (Advocates and Legal Consultants) were awarded Best Capital Markets Firm in Jordan for 2013 by the World Finance Legal Awards for 2013.
• The  International  Who’s  Who  of  Business  Lawyers  and  the  International  Who’s  Who  of Commercial
• Arbitration which is the essential directory worldwide, published in its 2012 edition Dr. Aljazy’s biography;
• In October 2009, Dr. Aljazy was selected by Middle East Business Intelligence (MEED) amongst six prominent business lawyers as key figures in Jordan’s international business law community;
• His firm has been enrolled with ‘The Legal 500 Directory’ which is a comprehensive guide to commercial law firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
   

Corporate Highlights

• Dr. Aljazy is representing the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) in the project of establishing the first nuclear reactor in Jordan and exploitation of Uranium in Jordan.  He provides legal consultancy and represents JAEC in all negotiations with mining companies – providing legal advice on all agreements  including but not limited to: exploration agreements; mining agreements; EPC Contracts; MOU’s and forming needed corporation entities including reviewing all needed draft legislation. He also advises JAEC regarding Nuclear Technology  Development  in Jordan  which includes  the design and construction  of research  and training reactors and all agreements related to the exploitation of Uranium in Jordan.
   
• Dr. Aljazy is representing and advising Jordan Nuclear Power Company (JNPC) in all kinds of services regarding Nuclear Technology Development (NTD) and Jordanian Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP), including all agreements related to the Design and Construction of nuclear power plants, as well as all relevant ToR(s), RFP(s), agreements, memorandum of understandings and/or joint ventures of a different kind and/or of a complicated nature.
   
• Dr.  Aljazy led the legal team who represented and advised Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) on drafting the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) signed between the Government of Jordan and the Government of the Russian Federation on cooperation concerning the construction and operation of a Nuclear Power Plant in Jordan.
   
• Dr. Aljazy led the legal team who represented and advised Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) on drafting the Project Development Agreement (PDA) signed between JAEC and RUSATOM OVERSEAS on cooperation concerning the development of a Nuclear Power Plant in Jordan.
   
• Dr. Aljazy led the legal team who represented and advised Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) on property finance for the Jordan Research Reactor which includes guarantees and indemnities, performance bonds, and bank guarantees.
   
• Dr. Aljazy has an expertise in public private partnerships (PPP) and he has acted on a number of PPPs. He has been actively involved and worked on PPP tenders (including  filly documented  bids) for Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) in its Nuclear Power Plant Project.
   
• Dr.  Aljazy  led  the  legal  team  representing  the  Government  of  Jordan  in  all  negotiations regarding a 25- year Uranium Mining Agreement with the French nuclear power utility (Areva) to explore and mine uranium deposits within the Central Area of Jordan, and has an extensive knowledge in drafting Prospecting and Exportation Agreements.
   
• Dr. Aljazy led the legal team who represented and advised Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) in all negotiations regarding the Direct Agreement relating to the Mining Agreement Concession with Areva.
   
• Dr. Aljazy has advised the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the loan facility made under the Financing Agreement made and entered into between the Government of Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Export-Import Bank of Korea of an amount of Seventy Million United States Dollars (US$70,000,000) to be made available in favour of the Government of Jordan to support the establishment of Jordan’s Research Training Reactor.
   
• Dr.  Aljazy  led  the  Legal  Team  representing  Jordan  Energy  Mining  Company  (JEML)  in  all negotiations with the Government of Jordan regarding the signing of the Oil Shale Surphace Retort Concession  Agreement with  the  Government  of  Jordan  represented  by  the  Natural Resources Authority, he provides legal advice pertaining the concession agreement and advising JEML on negotiating Oil Shale Surphace Retort Concession Agreement.
   
• Dr. Aljazy represented a major Arab Group in establishing Cement factories in Jordan, Sudan and Syria. He has also been engaged in establishing the Cement Factories through drafting all related agreements, Turnkey Contracts  and  obtaining  all  relevant  permits,  approvals  and  licenses  from  the competent governmental authorities.