John Podgore

Partner

John Eric Podgore is head of ADG Legal’s Transactional Practice and is based in Dubai. He has more than twenty years of experience in both in-house and private practice roles, with over a decade practising in the MENA Region – having worked at such law firms as White & Case, Akin, Dechert and Addleshaw Goddard.

John advises on a wide range of transactional matters, with a particular focus on the Middle East, the former Soviet Union / Central Asia, and Africa. He has traditionally advised on many diverse upstream oil and gas issues in frontier markets, including negotiating the first production sharing agreement in the Republic of Malawi and resolving high-stakes Development and Production Service Contract issues at Iraq’s Ministry of Oil.  He also advises on all aspects of the development of major infrastructure projects, from conventional and renewable power-generation – to midstream and downstream oil and gas – to transportation / logistics infrastructure (airports, seaports and rail).  He is increasingly advising clients on the intersection of the Energy Transition / Decarbonization, technology (blockchain, AI, and IoT, etc.) and venture capital.

Of note, since mid-2022 John has assisted unsanctioned / apolitical companies with direct / indirect connections to Russia adapt to changing geopolitics and pursue transactions in the UAE and the broader MENA Region – while remaining compliant with sanctions that apply to him as a US person.  John has a wealth of experience dealing with the intersection of business and geopolitics, and he has frequently advised on such matters as sanctions, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and hurdles facing foreign investment in the US (including in respect of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US and Foreign Ownership, Control or Interest analyses).

John frequently bridges linguistic and cultural barriers to negotiate effective and enduring commercial arrangements.  In addition to native fluency in English, John speaks Arabic, French, Russian and Turkish.

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