McNair International is named after Lord Arnold McNair, who, as Queen’s Counsel, Professor at Cambridge University, President of the International Court of Justice and the first President of the European Court of Human Rights, was a true visionary and thought leader who inspired generations of international lawyers.
McNair International LLC was established in 2008 in the Qatar Financial Centre and was the first ever Barristers’ Chambers to be opened outside England and Wales. Headed by Khawar Qureshi KC, its Founder Members included:
Lord Slynn of Hadley, a brilliant advocate and Treasury Counsel before going to the Bench, was described as “one of the outstanding judges of his time”. He served as an Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, Judge of the European Court of Justice, and latterly as a Lord of Appeal in the House of Lords before retiring as a Law Lord in 2002. During his time in the House of Lords, he served as Chairman of the Select Sub-Committee on European Law and Institutions and as a member of the Select Committee on Public Service. He held numerous positions including Chairman of the International Law Association, and various visiting lectureships at universities around the world, including British Columbia; Sydney, Australia; Cornell University; the National Law School of India; King's College London and the University of Durham. | |
Professor Rudolf Dolzer (Professor Emeritus of University of Bonn) was widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on investment treaty arbitration, having authored numerous books and articles on the subject including “Principles of International Investment Law” with Christoph Schreuer. He was Professor Emeritus at the University of Bonn, and a former Director General of the Office of the Federal Chancellor and received the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Federal Cross of Merit) in 2010. | |
Richard Southwell QC was the go-to advocate for the most complex commercial disputes before the English courts. He was also a highly regarded arbitrator and Judge of the Courts of Appeal of Jersey and Guernsey. He held a number of positions with the Bar Council, including Chairman of Professional Standards Committee and Chairman of Legal Services Committee. | |
Professor William Ballantyne was recognized as the pre-eminent expert in Arab laws within the English legal profession. He wrote widely on the subject and appeared in some of the most significant cases involving Arab States as well as commercial parties. Having been admitted as both a solicitor and barrister in England and Wales, uniquely he went on to become a member of the bar in at least three different Arab States. He founded Arab Law Quarterly and served as a Visiting Professor of Arab Laws at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. |
In April 2022, we opened our first office in London.