Named the ’50 for 50’ Challenge, the initiative aims to inspire all members of the firm’s Middle East offices to give back to their local communities by dedicating time or resources to any number of 50 approved CSR initiatives by Ramadan 2020.

Fifty initiatives

The 50 initiatives will range from donating toys to refugees through Toys With Wings, cycling for charity through the Al Jalila Foundation, raising awareness for environmental causes through a Meatless Monday campaign, or volunteering with non-profit organisations such as K9 Friends, the Pink Caravan or Outward Bound. The project also builds upon the firm’s CSR Programme in the Middle East. As the first international firm to establish an office in the UAE, Dentons has been involved in landmark events in the UAE’s history since the 1960s when the Firm’s lawyers acted as the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's legal counsel in helping to draft the treaty that united the Emirates. Other momentous projects the firm was involved in include the construction of the Dubai World Trade Centre, which was the first sky scraper in the Arab World, and the establishment of Emirates Airlines in 1985.

Islamic finance

In the 1990s, once Islamic Banking started to take shape, Dentons also worked with many pioneering banks including the Dubai Islamic Bank and the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, helping to drive a new era of economic prosperity through the development of the UAE financial services industry. Following the global financial crisis in 2008, the UAE has continued to drive progress through initiatives such as the Atlantis hotel which involved Dentons. Paul Jarvis, managing partner at Dentons Middle East, comments “As we look back over fifty years, we can admire how far the United Arab Emirates has come and be proud of our legacy. With this project, we celebrate our ongoing commitment to our local communities and aim to inspire others to get involved in a wide-range of worthwhile causes.”