Covington & Burling LLP
About us
Covington & Burling LLP is a pre-eminent global law firm with more than 1,300 lawyers and advisors and 14 international offices.
We offer critical compliance competencies for global businesses in “The Big 7” compliance practices: anti-corruption, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism, competition, cybersecurity, data privacy, ESG, and sanctions and export controls. Currently, over 150 lawyers and policy advisors across our offices are working on our clients’ matters across the MEA region.
What sets us apart is our ability to work collaboratively to provide practical solutions to our clients' most challenging matters, combining market-leading litigation, investigations, and corporate practices with deep knowledge of policy and policymakers, and one of the world’s leading regulatory practices.
Our Team
Our teams draw on over 30 years’ experience to advise global businesses, government agencies, and private investors with interests throughout the Middle East and Africa. Clients turn to us to create novel solutions for their toughest problems, successfully resolve their bet-the-business cases and deliver commercial and practical advice of the highest quality.
For the past seven years, we have been named Law360’s “Compliance Practice Group of the Year,” and GIR recently recognised Covington as “Investigations Practice of the Year.” With one of the most experienced and recognized compliance and investigations practices in the world, unmatched credibility before enforcement authorities, and seasoned practitioners operating on the ground from our Dubai and Johannesburg offices, Covington offers unique value to clients doing business in the Middle East and Africa.
Covington has a long-standing partnership with MEACA, focused on bringing together compliance professionals in the Middle East and Africa to share experiences and best practices on a range of compliance issues. We are delighted to strengthen our relationship with MEACA as an Institutional Partner, and look forward to advancing MEACA’s mission.
Ben Haley, Dubai & Johannesburg
+971 4 247 2100 & +27 11 944 6914 bhaley@cov.com
Ben Haley
Ben leads the firm’s compliance and investigations practice in the Middle East and Africa and is a chair of the firm’s broader Africa and Middle East practices. With deep experience representing clients before regulators in high-profile white collar and disputes matters and a history operating on the ground in emerging markets, he helps clients assess and mitigate a wide range of complex legal and compliance risks. Complementing his investigations and dispute resolution practice, Ben has a broad-based compliance advisory practice, helping clients proactively manage compliance risk in areas including anti-corruption, trade controls, anti-money laundering, fraud, and data privacy.
Tarek Khanachet, Dubai
+971 4 247 2113
tkhanachet@cov.com
Tarek Khanachet
Tarek leads Covington’s Middle East Sovereign Advisory, Regulatory, and Public Policy practice and is a chair of the firm’s Middle East practice – working with both governments and global businesses on their most complex policy challenges throughout the MENA region. Tarek advises regional governments and government entities on governance, regulatory infrastructure development, policy design, new entity establishment, and economic diversification initiatives. His private-sector practice focuses on assisting global businesses with regional government affairs matters, including legislative advocacy, Ministry-engagement, regulatory compliance, and market access. This work crosses key highly regulated sectors, where global businesses may have to balance competing regulatory challenges between jurisdictions.
Haykel Hajjaji, Dubai
+971 4 247 2109
hhajjaji@cov.com
Haykel Hajjaji
Haykel advises global corporations, sovereign investors, and financial institutions on complex cross-border transactions, regulatory strategy, and market entry across the Middle East. He has a particular expertise in supporting clients operating at the intersection of innovation, compliance and geopolitics. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, he regularly counsels clients on developing market entry strategies, structuring transactions, navigating foreign investment regimes, and managing legal risk in sensitive environments.
Ahmed Mokdad, Johannesburg
+27 11 944 6915
amokdad@cov.com
Ahmed Mokdad
Ahmed advises multinational companies on complex regulatory and compliance matters across Africa and the Middle East. Drawing on more than a decade of cross-border experience, he supports clients in navigating sensitive internal investigations, regulatory risk, and high-stakes issues in challenging and fast-evolving markets. Ahmed’s practice spans areas including anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, fraud, and data privacy, combining investigations experience with pragmatic, commercially focused advice on compliance frameworks and proactive risk management.
Agnieszka Gronwald
+971 4 247 2124
agronwald@cov.com
Agnieszka Gronwald
Agnieszka specializes in white-collar compliance, defense, and investigations. With a strong focus on cross-border matters in the Middle East and Africa, Agnieszka has advised multinational clients on sensitive compliance matters, including internal and regulatory investigations, risk management, and crisis management matters, involving anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, fraud, tax evasion, and competition issues. Agnieszka has also advised on the design and implementation of ethics and compliance programs, including supporting global rollout and change management initiatives.
Maryam Chauhan, Dubai
+971 4 247 2118
mchauhan@cov.com
Maryam Chauhan
Maryam advises on anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and sanctions matters. Her investigations practice spans multiple jurisdictions including the Middle East and Africa and involves issues related to the U.S. FCPA, sanctions, financial crimes, and terrorism financing. In addition, Maryam advises on designing and enhancing compliance programs and has also overseen forensic accounting reviews to detect financial misconduct or regulatory violations.
Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority. Registration number 77071. A list of partners and their qualifications is available on our web site at www.cov.com.
