Brian Dunn is the Dubai-based general counsel at Finerton, which designs process automation solutions for supply chain companies. With over a decade of experience in the legal field, Dunn has held several senior positions in the technology and real estate sectors across the Middle East. Prior to joining Finerton, he served as general counsel at Unifonic Inc, a tech company regulated by telecom authorities across the MENA region and Pakistan. He also spent four years at Property Finder, the largest independently owned tech company in the MENA region. 

Dunn’s experience includes building and overseeing legal departments from the ground up, with a focus on legal operations, product counsel, intellectual property, data protection, and compliance. He holds advisory roles with several organizations, including REG-1 and the Legal Technology & Innovation Institute. Dunn's expertise spans corporate-commercial law, TMT law, and legal tech integration.

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ALB: Can you describe your career journey so far? What has been the most rewarding aspect of your current role?

Brian Dunn: My career began at a small law firm in New York, where I spent 5.5 years gaining invaluable experience. This role allowed me to dive into large client matters alongside partners, manage my own caseload, build a client base, and take the lead in representing clients in court. From there, my career took me to Dubai, where I embraced three in-house positions, each as the first lawyer brought on board. In these high-growth companies, I was responsible for building legal departments from the ground up, which required strategic planning, scalable approaches, and the ability to adapt swiftly.

In each role, I assessed company needs, hired key personnel, and established essential processes while integrating legal functions into the broader business. I also developed strong outsourcing strategies, practiced effective budgeting and resource allocation, and leveraged technology to optimise operations. In my last two in-house positions, I expanded my focus to include the development and management of compliance and governance functions. Today, as Group General Counsel for a large organisation with multiple business units across different industries, I oversee legal, governance, and compliance matters. This requires a balance between hands-on involvement within individual businesses and high-level strategic work to drive the group's overall success.

A particularly meaningful aspect of my career has been my work with SMEs and non-profits as an advisor and non-executive director, helping them scale their operations. My support has spanned regulatory and contractual guidance as well as service enhancement, primarily within the tech sector. I’ve helped these organisations with product development, go-to-market strategies, and scaling for growth.

One of the most rewarding parts of my current role has been developing a comprehensive governance function. This now extends across a global network of entities, embedding best practices, setting new standards, enhancing transparency, and ensuring compliance with evolving regulatory requirements.

ALB: How do you balance legal risk management with enabling business growth and innovation within your organisation?

Dunn: Balancing legal risk management with fostering business growth and innovation is one of the greatest challenges for senior in-house counsel. I approach this by applying what I believe are best practices in legal compliance, governance, and innovation management, utilising the following strategies:

PROACTIVE RISK IDENTIFICATION:

Risk Anticipation: I constantly monitor potential legal risks based on past trends and emerging regulations, which allows for early detection or risks. By understanding where risks are likely to arise, legal frameworks can be built to support innovation rather than stifle it.

Scenario Analysis: I consider different business growth strategies and evaluate the potential legal risks attached to each. This helps in choosing a path that balances legal safety with growth potential.

EMBEDDING LEGAL & COMPLIANCE:

Compliance by Design: Instead of viewing compliance as a constraint, I would recommend embedding legal and regulatory considerations early into product development or business expansion. This ensures that legal frameworks are not obstacles, but a part of the innovation process.

Legal Risk Matrix: Create a matrix that identifies areas where risk can be accepted.  This allows innovation to flourish within the boundaries of acceptable legal exposure and informs stakeholders when to seek further legal support.

CLEAR COMMUNICATION:

Stakeholder Collaboration: Open channels of communication between legal, compliance, and business units allow for the identification of both growth opportunities and potential risks in a collaborative way. When business leaders understand legal boundaries and legal teams understand growth goals, they can work toward common solutions.

Risk Prioritisation: Prioritise risks by likelihood and potential impact. This ensures that critical risks are mitigated while allowing some room for innovation to take place with managed, lower-impact risks.

ADAPTIVE LEGAL FRAMEWORKS:

Flexible Policies: I emphasise creating legal frameworks that are not rigid. This might include drafting policies or contracts that are capable of adaptation as the business evolves, or amendments to be made without disrupted change management being a necessary component.

Agile Governance: Adopting an agile governance approach helps in adjusting to changes in real time. This includes building systems that allow for quick legal and risk assessments when business models pivot, or new technologies are introduced.

TRAINING AND CULTURE: 

Educating Teams: I promote an organisational culture where teams are trained to think about both innovation and compliance. When all levels of the business understand the legal landscape, they are better equipped to make decisions that align with both growth and compliance goals.

Encouraging Responsible Innovation: Legal and compliance functions can be champions of innovation by emphasising how creativity and business growth can thrive within responsible, ethical, and legal constraints.

“The GCC’s regulatory and enforcement landscape has been maturing in recent years to be closer aligned with other mature global markets, and with the regional economies further. This includes the introduction of new regulations related to data protection and cyber security, foreign ownership, labour laws, and environmental standards. As a lawyer who has worked primarily in the technology sector, I believe that the laws particularly in that area will have a drastic impact on how businesses are operating.” 

ALB: What are some of the most significant legal or regulatory changes that have impacted your industry in recent years, and how have you navigated those challenges?

Dunn: The GCC’s regulatory and enforcement landscape has been maturing in recent years to be closer aligned with other mature global markets, and with the regional economies further. This includes the introduction of new regulations related to data protection and cyber security, foreign ownership, labour laws, and environmental standards. As a lawyer who has worked primarily in the technology sector, I believe that the laws particularly in that area will have a drastic impact on how businesses are operating. As we saw with the issuance of GDPR, this changed the business landscape in Europe and is a key consideration that all businesses have when it comes to their operations. Countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia are implementing stricter data protection laws, modelled after the EU's GDPR. Businesses must navigate these regulations while ensuring that their data handling and processing practices are compliant or the businesses will risk fines, suspension or loss of license, and reputational damage. Similarly, the rise in cyberattacks globally, coupled with increased digitalisation in the region, has made cybersecurity a topic at the forefront of consumers’ minds, and therefore a real concern for businesses.

ALB: How do you approach building and managing an effective legal team within your organisation?

Dunn: Building and managing an effective legal team requires a combination of strategic hiring, strong leadership, clear communication, and fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. Here’s an approach that covers key aspects:

Define the Legal Team's Mission and Goals. Ensure that there is alignment with the broader organisation's goals.  Clearly define the scope of work and the specific areas of law the team will handle.  This can be achieved through the creation of a legal team charter, which can then be shared throughout the organisation, which will also help to set the organisation’s expectations.

Recruiting the Right Talent. Recruiting for a diverse skill set will help to ensure that your team is prepared and capable of being a strong problem-solving function, regardless of what issue may come across your desk.  I will hire with 3 non-negotiables in mind, which are cultural fit, problem-solving ability, and adaptability.  I believe that these are 3 traits of a strong performer.

Foster a Collaborative Environment. Encourage teamwork by creating opportunities for team members to collaborate on projects and share knowledge. Promote an open-door policy where team members feel comfortable discussing challenges and asking for help. Plan non-work-related events for the team to get to interact and build relationships with one another. This will help improve the team’s cohesiveness.

Effective Communication. Establish clear lines of communication within the team and with other departments. By fostering strong relationships between the legal team and other key departments, this will facilitate smooth collaboration.  It will also help to create an environment where the legal team is proactively approached to help solve problems, which will in turn create a more enjoyable work environment for the team.

Use Technology to Enhance Efficiency. Leverage legal tech tools and implement automated solutions for routine tasks.  This will remove the mundane work you’re your team’s day-to-day responsibilities, and free them up to engage in high value add tasks. This helps to keep the team motivated and have a feeling of enjoyment for their work.  It is also important to ensure the team is well-versed in the use of these tools to maximise efficiency.

Clear Roles and Responsibilities. Define each team member’s role and responsibilities to avoid duplication of work or confusion over accountability. Set clear expectations for performance and create a system for regular feedback and evaluation.  This will help to give people a better sense of belonging and confidence that they can deliver their best against expectations.

ALB: What advice would you give to aspiring lawyers or law students interested in pursuing senior in-house roles?

Dunn: Aspiring lawyers or law students aiming for senior in-house roles should focus on developing a broad legal foundation across various areas of law. However, if you're looking to concentrate on specific practice areas, I recommend general corporate and commercial law, litigation, or M&A. It’s equally important to cultivate strong business acumen and learn how to align legal strategies with business objectives, ensuring that your advice leads to actionable outcomes for the organisation. Senior in-house roles require not only legal expertise but also a deep understanding of the company’s operations, risk management, industry landscape, and tax and financial implications.

Two key recommendations for those pursuing these roles are: first, to gain at least five years of experience in a law firm, and second, to seek opportunities to volunteer as an advisor or non-executive director for small enterprises or non-profits. Law firm experience is invaluable for young lawyers, offering exposure to a wide range of legal issues and extensive drafting opportunities. Acting as an advisor or non-executive director allows you to develop business knowledge and insights that may not be readily accessible while solely practicing law.

Finally, it’s crucial to build a strong network within the legal and business communities. Relationships and mentorships can open doors to new opportunities and provide important learning experiences.

ALB: Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest legal challenges or opportunities facing your industry in the next 5-10 years?

Dunn: For a technology lawyer, AI would be the obvious answer. However, having worked in emerging markets for the past decade, I believe the tech industry will continue to face significant challenges and opportunities around data privacy and security. These issues were gaining importance even before the rise of AI, and now AI will further amplify their complexity and relevance.

As global regulations evolve and tighten, companies will need to navigate increasingly intricate compliance landscapes while safeguarding consumer data. Additionally, AI regulations will take centre stage as governments work to establish legal frameworks that ensure responsible development, ethical use, and accountability for AI-driven decisions. This will create both compliance challenges and innovation opportunities for tech companies.

These regulatory developments will make market entry more difficult and costly for companies, but they will also create opportunities for those who prioritise robust data protection, information security, and ethical AI practices.

“A quote that has resonated with me since I was young is one by Tiger Woods: "Stay patient, stay in the moment, and keep grinding." It has had such a profound impact on me that I've inscribed it in places where I see it regularly. This quote serves as a constant reminder of how easily our minds can drift—to the past or the future—often at the least convenient times. Whenever I read it, I’m reminded that the present moment is all that truly matters. Our goals, dreams, and well-being are shaped by what we do in this very moment.”

ALB: What motto do you live by?

Dunn: A quote that has resonated with me since I was young is one by Tiger Woods: "Stay patient, stay in the moment, and keep grinding." It has had such a profound impact on me that I've inscribed it in places where I see it regularly. This quote serves as a constant reminder of how easily our minds can drift—to the past or the future—often at the least convenient times. Whenever I read it, I’m reminded that the present moment is all that truly matters. Our goals, dreams, and well-being are shaped by what we do at this very moment.