Teresa Farah is an award-winning transactional attorney who has worked across the globe in international business for over thirty years. She has represented clients ranging from Walmart, Tyson Foods, to governments, to start-ups and early-stage venture backed companies, as well as medium to multinational enterprises. Teresa has structured and negotiated numerous multibillion dollar, multinational transactions and joint ventures across a variety of sectors spanning Hollywood, Wall Street, government, joint ventures, and private equity.
Prior to establishing her own international legal practice in the U.S., Teresa worked in Dubai, U.A.E. for seven years, both in the private and public sectors. While in Dubai, she served as the General Counsel of The Executive Office, which is the private office of the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
As General Counsel, Teresa managed the legal requirements of a multibillion-dollar portfolio of assets, which included all entities under the authority of The Executive Office of the government of Dubai, which included: Dubai development and Investment Authority (the investment authority for the government of Dubai); the Dubai Mercantile Exchange (the premier international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East); Dubai International Capital, LLC (private equity and investment firm); Dubai Energy Limited; Dubai Healthcare City (a 4.1 million square foot healthcare free zone) developed in conjunction with Harvard Medical; Dubai Industrial City; Dubailand, LLC (a multibillion dollar, multi-faceted residential and entertainment complex with an array of attractions and amenities including a theme park, polo club, hotels, schools and medical clinics); Jumeirah, LLC (a luxury hotel and hospitality group with a global portfolio); Dubai School of Government (developed in conjunction with Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government); and Dubai International Humanitarian City (the largest humanitarian hub in the world and the only non-profit, independent, humanitarian free-zone hosting approximately 80 members comprised of UN organizations, non-profits and non-governmental organizations, in addition to commercial companies).
During her tenure with the Dubai government, Teresa was the lead counsel representing the government of Dubai in numerous multibillion-dollar joint ventures between the government and multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies and other governments. This included negotiating a joint venture between the government of Dubai and New York Mercantile Exchange, creating the Dubai Mercantile Exchange; negotiating a joint venture between Dubai Healthcare City and Harvard Medical International; and negotiating a collaboration between the government of Dubai and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government to create the Dubai School of Government. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Dubai Mercantile Exchange and for the Dubai Healthcare City.
Prior to working in Dubai, Teresa worked as an international business and trade consultant advising on global trade, foreign direct investment, country assessment and risk mitigation analysis, as well as international shipping and transportation.
Teresa started working in international business in Washington, D.C. as the Trade Dispute Director for the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce where she developed, implemented and managed a trade dispute reconciliation service and mediated commercial disputes between U.S. companies and Arab companies, recovering millions of dollars for member companies. Teresa advised U.S. clients on foreign investment regulations in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Kuwait; Islamic halal certification; international shipping; and industrial regulatory requirements for Arab countries. She also developed an arbitration service in conjunction with outside legal counsel.
In 2010 the American Bar Association recognized Teresa's accomplishments and practice by selecting her as one of 2010’s ten “Legal Rebels,” an award which honors lawyers who are innovative and changing the practice of law.
In addition to Teresa's private practice, she taught International Finance, International Contracting, and International Business Transactions, on an adjunct basis, at the University of Arkansas School of Law, as well as in Lithuania at the Vytautus Magnus University’s School of Law in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Teresa serves on the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Arkansas Advisory Committee, the Advisory Board for AI Inkwell, Inc., Advisory Board and Advisor to the CEO of Namida, Inc. (an early cancer detection company), MDVisit, LLC, The World Trade Center, Arkansas, and is a co-founding member and serves on the board for the Organization of Women in International Trade, Arkansas Chapter.
Teresa is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of New York.