Sahar Askalan & Partners Legal Advocacy & Consultancy (SAlegal) is an Omani law firm dedicated to providing efficient, practical and effective legal services to its clients.
It was founded in 2009 by Ms. Sahar Askalan, who was the first Omani woman to obtain both UK and US law qualifications. A pioneer in her own right, Ms. Sahar Askalan worked for a considerable number of years at various international law firms, including Allen & Overy (London), Addleshaw Goddard (London), Clifford Chance (Paris) and Richard’s Butler (Abu Dhabi), obtaining invaluable experience in project finance, corporate law, and real estate & tourism matters.
After her stints at various international law firms, Ms. Sahar Askalan chose to return to Oman to establish her own practice. Her vision in establishing SAlegal was to raise the standard of legal practice in Oman. In doing so, she introduced clients to a unique blend of international professionalism, combined with local Omani knowledge and hospitality.
Since its establishment in 2009, SAlegal has grown steadily and is now a full-fledged law firm.
SAlegal was the first Omani law firm to represent the government of the Sultanate of Oman in arbitration proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne, Switzerland against The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in which we were triumphant.
As a testament to SAlegal’s strength and consistent high standard of service in the legal market, SAlegal has signed an Agreement of Collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) – one of the largest professional services firm in the world. SAlegal is also the preferred partner for several international law firms in relation to Omani legal matters.
SAlegal has a dedicated team of local and international lawyers offering both Corporate and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) / Litigation legal services.
The Corporate Department includes high profile local and international multi-lingual lawyers with extensive experience in the full range of corporate and commercial matters. The Corporate Department prides itself in serving clients from all across the world, and in assisting clients to navigate the unique corporate and legal challenges in Oman.
The ADR/Litigation Department includes lawyers with in-depth knowledge of local legislation, codes and practice, with extensive experience at all court levels in Oman, as well as other forums for dispute resolution. The ADR/Litigation Department is committed to providing practical and effective dispute resolution services to clients.
As a united team, SAlegal’s overarching goal is to act as a trusted and reliable legal advisor to its clients. In this regard, SAlegal guarantees that it shall provide legal services in accordance with the following core values:
Hand-in-hand collaboration with clients to provide tailor-made solutions to specific issues.
prompt responses and delivery of legal service to clients.
Honest and transparent communication at all times, in order to ensure that clients are fully informed.
Utilisation of our deep understanding of the local market, legal system and business customs in order to protect our clients’ interests.
Utilisation of our close connections with governmental and regulatory authorities in Oman, in order to benefit our clients.
A consistent level of excellence and professionalism in our services, in keeping with the ethos introduced by our founder, Ms. Sahar Askalan.
As part of its core goal of delivering international levels of excellence, SAlegal maintains a progressive policy on diversity, and is heavily involved in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
SAlegal actively promotes racial and gender equality, and the participation of women in the workforce. During her tenure, Sahar Askalan was one of the few female managing partners of a law firm in Oman. SAlegal recruits lawyers on the basis of their competency and work ethic, and not their race or gender. As such, throughout the time that SAlegal has been in business, numerous female lawyers have worked at SAlegal and continue to do so, without any restriction, bias or discouragement.
SAlegal gives back to the local community in various ways, including as follows:
SAlegal prides itself in providing internship programs to young Omani students and law graduates. The internship programs range from between 2 weeks to 3 months, and enable Omani students and law graduates to gain real-life experience in corporate transactions and litigation matters. Each year, between 3 to 5 students are accepted into the internship program.
SAlegal also provides financial support for gifted Omani students to pursue university degrees, both locally and abroad. Most recently, an Omani female student was chosen for an academic scholarship to pursue a Masters Degree (LLM) in law from a reputable university in the UK.
SAlegal conducts legal training courses and seminars each year, which are open for all types of persons and companies in Oman. In previous years, training courses on labour law, due diligence exercises, and Islamic Finance were provided. Most recently, SAlegal jointly organised with PwC a well-received workshop on the impact of the new Commercial Companies Law, which was attended by over 50 representatives from reputable institutions and companies. The goal of such training courses and seminars is to educate the public on their rights and obligations, and on the latest legal developments.