Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)

Etihad provides practical legal support to small and medium enterprises operating in Iraq, the UAE, and the UK. We act as outside general counsel to start-ups, family businesses, manufacturers, retailers, and service-sector SMEs, advising on the issues that determine whether a growing business succeeds: licensing, contracts, employment, tax, and disputes.

Our team has handled SME mandates with aggregate transaction values exceeding USD 200 million. We deliver the technical depth of a full-service corporate firm with the responsiveness, commercial focus, and predictable fees that growing businesses require.

With offices in Baghdad, Erbil, Dubai, and London, Etihad is uniquely positioned to support SMEs operating across borders. We have advised on multi-jurisdictional structuring for SMEs establishing UAE holding entities to access Iraqi markets, supported UK-based founders entering the Iraqi private sector, and represented Iraqi SMEs expanding regionally. Our integrated platform allows us to deliver coordinated counsel across regulatory, commercial, employment, tax, and dispute matters without the inefficiencies of engaging multiple firms.

Company Formation & Licensing

Incorporation, business registration, and sector-specific licensing across Iraqi provinces, the UAE, and the UK. We handle the full setup cycle, from entity selection and capital deposit to commercial registry, tax registration, and chamber filings.

Sector Support: Tech, Retail & Manufacturing

Franchise rollouts, market entry, joint ventures, and restructuring for technology, retail, manufacturing, and service-sector SMEs. We have advised on franchise and expansion mandates with aggregate investment values exceeding USD 100 million.

Ongoing Corporate Advisory

Annual filings, contract renewals, and recurring compliance obligations. Many SMEs engage Etihad on a retainer basis, giving them direct partner access and continuity of counsel without the cost of in-house legal.

Tax Compliance & Disputes

Tax registration, payroll and withholding compliance, audit defence, and tax appeal proceedings. We have reduced contested tax exposures for SME clients by aggregate amounts.

Commercial Contracts

Drafting and negotiating service contracts, supplier and distribution agreements, partnership arrangements, and client engagement terms. We have negotiated SME contract portfolios with aggregate values exceeding USD 80 million.

Employment & Labor

Employment contracts, HR policies, work permits, terminations, and labor court litigation. We also advise on workforce restructuring during expansion or downsizing, controlling exposure to severance and reinstatement claims.

Commercial Disputes & Recovery

Unpaid invoices, breach of contract, delivery failures, and service disagreements before Iraqi courts and arbitral tribunals. Our team has recovered tens of millions of US dollars for SME clients through litigation, arbitration, and pre-litigation settlement.

Intellectual Property

Trademark registration, trade secret protection, and IP enforcement against counterfeiting and unauthorised use. We have filed and prosecuted hundreds of trademark applications and manage regional portfolios for SMEs expanding beyond Iraq.

Why SMEs Choose Etihad

SMEs select Etihad because we combine the substantive expertise of a full-service corporate firm with the responsiveness, commercial focus, and predictable fee arrangements that growing businesses require. Our lawyers have advised SMEs through every phase of the business cycle, including periods of rapid growth, market entry, regulatory disruption, and economic stress. We invest in understanding our clients’ operations, their commercial priorities, and the constraints under which they make decisions, and we deliver advice that is actionable rather than academic.

We also recognise that many SMEs do not have in-house legal capacity, and we structure our engagement to function as an extension of management. Our retainer arrangements, fixed-fee packages for recurring work, and direct partner access reflect this orientation. For more complex or contentious matters, we mobilise multidisciplinary teams that draw on our corporate, regulatory, employment, tax, and disputes practices, ensuring that the SME receives integrated counsel without managing multiple advisor relationships.

Speak to Our SME Team

To discuss how Etihad can support your business, whether you are forming a new venture, structuring an expansion, addressing a dispute, or seeking ongoing legal counsel, please contact our SME practice through the firm’s main office in Baghdad or any of our regional offices.