Biography:
Osama Albehandy is a J.S.D. student from the United Arab Emirates at Loyola Law School. He is also a Teaching Assistant at the faculty of law in the United Arab Emirates University. Osama has a Bachelor's of Laws from the University of Sharjah, UAE. After his graduation, he worked for Mohammed Bin Rashid Housing Establishment where he developed his interest in the construction sector. Also, he received his Attorney practice license after he graduated from the Institute of Training and Judicial Studies in UAE and trained in a local legal firm. Working as a legal researcher at the legal department of Mohammed bin Rashid housing establishment, allowed Osama the opportunity to learn about formulating and auditing different types of contracts, preparing legal memoranda's, and dealing with legal disputes. This type of work and Osama’s interest in Teaching led him to join the Faculty of Law at UAEU. He then travelled to the US and got his LLM degree in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University, school of law. Osama loves his profession in education and research. After completing his J.S.D, he will return to the UAE to teach Law in the UAEU.
Osama’s interests include Dispute Resolution, International Arbitration, Civil Procedures, Civil Law, Commercial Law, and Construction Law. He has also other interests including sports, traveling, and learning foreign languages.
Dissertation:
Coming from Dubai, a city that is well known for its fast and modern construction developments, Osama’s interest in the construction sector has reasonable grounds. The construction industry is an essential industry that has a significant impact on the economy of any nation. From infrastructure, to real estate, roads, dams, factories, and hotels, all are done by the construction industry. Developing countries, like the UAE, invest a lot of money into improving their infrastructure and investing in mega-projects. One of the reasons for this trend for the UAE includes the idea of a diversified economy dependent from total reliance on the oil sector. Therefore, with this boom in the construction sector, a healthy construction industry is indispensable.
Studying this important industry with all its aspects is important to understand the issues and challenges and to suggest realistic solutions to facilitate the success of construction projects in the UAE. One of these important aspects is how construction disputes are resolved. Considering that such projects are multi-party operations, with limited time to finish and very destructive consequences for failure, it is essential to have a good practice and a reliable legal framework to resolve such disputes efficiently. This is especially true when considering that construction projects are by its nature susceptible to conflicts and disputes between the many parties involved which can escalate to courtrooms. Therefore, to facilitate the massive construction boom on the horizon, and to prepare for it, it is necessary to examine the existing legal framework for dispute resolution and to suggest and evaluate proposals for improvement.
Osama’s study will describe and explain how construction disputes are currently resolved in the UAE with a focus on the issues and challenges surrounding the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution means to resolve these disputes. His research will also look at possible room for a reform and improvements in order to aid the participants in this important sector and to keep up with the current and expected massive developments in the UAE and the Middle East.
Languages
Osama speaks Arabic, English, and Farsi.
Faculty Advisor: Hiro Aragaki