MARYAN HASSAN

Senior Fellow – Somalia/UK

Maryan Hassan is a dual national of Somalia and the UK. She is the current Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession at the Office of the President, the youngest woman ever appointed, and former Chief Legal Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia.

About Maryan Hassan

Maryan Hassan is a dual national of Somalia and the UK. She is the current Chief Negotiator for WTO Accession at the Office of the President, the youngest woman ever appointed, and former Chief Legal Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia.

Ms. Hassan was previously Legal Adviser to the Somali Mission to the UN in New York and is a panel member at the World Bank’s International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), the youngest woman appointed to date. She founded the task force for the Horn of Africa’s first ADR Trade Disputes Centre (DJIAC), under the auspices of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), scheduled to open in Djibouti in 2020. She also leads the UN New York Convention Task Force for Somalia and is Somalia’s delegate to UNCITRAL.

In addition to drafting key pieces of legislation for the Federal Government of Somalia, Maryan Hassan advised the Office of the Attorney General on issues related to Public International Law and was the principal drafter of the MOU for the landmark transfer of Somali prisoners held in custody in various Indian Ocean Island States on pirating charges. She was recognized in 2015 as a “UK Young Leader” by the US Embassy during the Obama administration for her work regarding the Somali diaspora and recognized by the President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, for her dedication to the rule of law in Somalia at the International Council for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) Summit in Mauritius. She further assists the Clooney Foundation for Justice on its TrialWatch Initiative and leads Somali law Students and junior lawyers, upon invitation, to work on the initiative by its founder, Mrs. Amal Clooney.

Litigation Practice

Prior to working in Mogadishu, Ms. Hassan worked as an Associate at Al Tamimi & Co. at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). She advised on multi-million dollar commercial arbitration disputes and was one of the lawyers who successfully advised on the DIFC appeals court landmark case, DNB Bank ASA v. Gulf Eyadah Corporation and Gulf Navigation Holdings PJSC, with the court ruling that parties may enforce foreign judgments in the DIFC Courts.

Negotiation Practice

Somalia’s Accession to the WTO

ADR Achievements and Training

Weinstein JAMS International Fellow (2017)
Member, Panels of Arbitrators and Conciliators at ICSID
Arbitration training, Jones Day
Investment arbitration training, ICSID
Mediation and negotiation training, Kingston University
Nominated for the prestigious Global Arbitration Review (GAR) Awards with the FGS
Jurisdiction of Somalia shortlisted for “Best Development” (2017)
London Court of International Arbitration representative for Africa (YIAG)
Singapore International Arbitration Centre Council member for Africa
Mauritius Arbitration and Mediation Centre Advisory Board Member
Restructuring Board Member at the Somali National University (SNU) School of Law
Board Member, Kingston University School of Law Advisory Panel (syllabus)

ADR Teaching and Mentoring

Ms. Hassan has taught international arbitration at various universities and has spoken at numerous conferences around the world.
Harvard International Arbitration Conference speaker (2019)
WTO Public Forum (2017, 2018)
WTO Trade for Peace (2018)
“The Global South in an Era of Shifting Geopolitics” Conference Organizer and Speaker, WilmerHale (2018)

Educational Qualifications

Visiting Researcher, University of Cambridge (2015)
Harvard Institute for Global Law and Policy (2015)
LL.M) SOAS, International Law, University of London (2015)
LL.B International Law, Kingston University (with honors) (2014)