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About

Saarah Badr is Senior Counsel in Bird & Bird's UAE team, bringing almost two decades of experience in media and entertainment. Having spent many years working in-house across the industry, she combines extensive regional knowledge with a practical and commercial approach that sets her apart in the region. Her practice is distinguished by a blend of private practice expertise and deep in-house experience, spanning commercial media work, broadcast and production expertise, music rights, media regulation, content compliance and intellectual property across the Middle East.

Over the past year, Saarah has led the majority of the firm's media and entertainment matters, winning significant mandates from high-profile clients including a major multinational media conglomerate and one of the largest media companies in the Middle East.

Saarah is ranked as a Leading Partner in Legal 500 and recognised as key practitioner in Chambers Global Guide for her TMT expertise. Client feedback from Legal 500 includes “Saarah Badr has a deep understanding of media landscape of the UAE.”

Career

Saarah rejoined Bird & Bird as Senior Counsel in September 2024, bringing with her a distinguished career spanning both the private and public sectors. Most recently prior to her return, she served as Director of Regulatory Affairs and Companies Registrar at the Creative Media Authority in Abu Dhabi. Before that, she oversaw commercial legal and content compliance at the regional pay-TV platform OSN, and earlier in her career she served as Legal Counsel to the twofour54/Abu Dhabi Media Zone from 2009 to 2013.

Throughout her career, Saarah has established herself as a leading authority on media and content regulation, having overseen licensing, compliance and content review processes (including high-profile script reviews) from a government perspective over a five-year period. She is an expert in policy development and regulatory drafting, having developed and implemented a wide range of policies and procedures and drafted regulations, codes and guidelines at a governmental level.

Saarah's extensive and practical understanding of local laws and the media landscape significantly enhances Bird & Bird's Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) practice, consolidating its position as one of the leading teams in the region.

Memberships

Saarah is a qualified solicitor of England and Wales and holds a Master's degree from King's College London in UK, EU and US Copyright Law.

Languages

English