Adam Vause

• Advising a leading MedTech company on an investigation into allegations of trade compliance violations in the Middle East
• Advising a European industrial company on an investigation into bribery allegations in its Middle East operations
• Advising a listed professional services provider on a bribery investigation relating to government contracts in an Asian market
• Advising a global pharmaceutical company in relation to a wide-ranging investigation into compliance issues across numerous jurisdictions in the Middle East
• Advising a defence contractor on an investigation relating to allegations of bribery by its consultant in the Gulf region
• Advising a global biotechnology company on investigations and compliance issues relating to its operations in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
• Acting for an international financial institution on internal and regulatory investigations and related global asset tracing and litigation
• Advising a listed construction company on a compliance investigation in the Middle East and related negotiations with the Serious Fraud Office
• Advising an oil and gas services company on a Middle East focused corruption investigation and related negotiations with the Serious Fraud Office
• Advising an African telecommunications company on allegations of bribery regarding an acquisition in east Africa
• Advising a global luxury retailer on compliance and anti-money laundering issues regarding its Middle East operations
• Advising a Middle Eastern oil and gas supplier about modern slavery related compliance issues
• Advising a global defence contractor on its anti-bribery and corruption compliance across the Middle East
• Advising a European headquartered multinational food-products company on compliance issues across its Middle East operations
• Acting for an African bank on a mandate concerning international asset tracing, fraud and enforcement, plus related proceedings in the Middle East and Africa

• Adam Vause co-chairs the global investigations group at AKD Partners from his base in Dubai. He is widely commended for this Middle East anti-corruption and anti-bribery practice. He frequently advises clients on regulatory issues as well as internal compliance policies. His experience as a former UK SFO prosecutor provides him a unique understanding of the UK Bribery Act and related fraud matters.
• Adam is ranked in the “Hall of Fame” for investigations by Legal 500.
• Adam has been ranked Tier 1 in Corporate Investigations by Chambers Global each year since 2015 and in Chambers Global 2023 was commended for his anti-corruption and anti-bribery practice and advice on regulatory and compliance issues. Clients noted “Adam is a leader in his field. He brings proper enforcement experience to the region”, “He’s always a pleasure to work with. He is technically strong on cross-border regulatory investigations and asset-tracing engagements.”, “On complex international cases where reporting to a US or UK regulator, he knows what the expectations are and can provide meaningful guidance”.
• Adam’s previous plaudits in Chambers Global include:
• “I always find him to be incredibly responsive, with an understanding of business issues well beyond the confines of his day-to-day practice, which makes him an excellent relationship partner and advocate.“;
• “Adam Vause is pragmatic and practical in his approach to investigations”;
• “[his] knowledge of the risks and peculiarities of the region is exceptional. He is very hands-on, practical and easy to talk to”;
• "first rate lawyer”;
• “very competent and very strong in investigations” with a “strong track record in regulatory mandates”;
• “incredibly responsive, very clear and concise in communication, and very pragmatic”;
• “very calm and pleasant to work with; take that personality trait and combine it with his expertise, and it’s a very comforting experience”;
• “extremely well versed in different sectors, and has a good working relationship with local companies”;
• “widely recognised for his expertise on contention work in Bahrain, in particular for representing financial institutions on cross-border disputes”;
• "acclaimed for his broad experience locally and regionally”; and
• “a lawyer with significant experience and a clear cut approach” with “a track record of advising international companies in Bahrain and the wider region”.

Adam regularly undertakes speaking engagements at conferences and other events. In recent years he has spoken on issues including anti-corruption compliance, the development of fraud litigation in the Middle East, international trends in corporate integrity enforcement/the UK Bribery Act, international sanctions, the Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution, civil unrest and force majeure and the Bahrain Corporate Governance Code.

Adam has also contributed articles to a number of publications including the IBA Arbitration newsletter, Business in Gulf, Arbitration: the International Journal of Arbitration, Mediation and Dispute Management, Getting the Deal Through (chapter on arbitration in Bahrain), complinet.com, Gulf Construction and Islamic Business and Finance.

• Corruption Perceptions Index 2020 a Middle East and North Africa perspective, 11 February 2021
• No "one-size-fits-all": Read the SFO guidance on evaluating compliance programmes, Thomson Reuters Regulatory Intelligence, 3 February 2020
• The UAE's fight against bribery and corruption, 16 July 2019
• Saudi Arabia expands anti-bribery legislation to the private sector, 16 May 2019
• Whistleblower protections and disclosure obligations - recent developments in the DIFC, 7 April 2019
• Pursuing non-performing loans in the Middle East, 22 May 2017