M&CO Legal has strengthened its International Arbitration and Disputes practice with the appointment of Tonderai Nyandoro as Legal Director – International Arbitration,

Nyandoro joins the Firm from Clyde & Co, where he served as Legal Director. He is a highly regarded disputes practitioner with extensive experience across international arbitration, complex commercial litigation, and proceedings in support of arbitration, having appeared before the High Court of England & Wales, the DIFC Courts and the ADGM Courts.

His practice focuses particularly on cross-border disputes with a multi-jurisdictional dimension, Anglophone Africa-related disputes, jurisdictional challenges and questions of forum, and the coordination and management of parallel proceedings across multiple jurisdictions. Over the past 14 years, he has acted in more than 40 international arbitration and litigation proceedings under leading institutional rules including DIAC, ICC, ICSID, LCIA, SIAC, CPR and UNCITRAL, with matters seated across both common law and civil law jurisdictions.

Nyandoro is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a registered arbitrator with the Dubai International Arbitration Centre. He is admitted as a Solicitor of England & Wales and is registered to practice before the DIFC and ADGM Courts. He holds an LL.M. with Merit in International Arbitration from the School of International Arbitration at Queen Mary, University of London, and has been recognized for his academic excellence with the University of Hertfordshire Chancellor’s Prize.

Alongside Nyandoro, M&CO Legal has also onboarded Aleefa Ahmed as Senior Associate, and Anna Maria Riemer as Junior Associate.

Ahmed is a dual-qualified lawyer (India and England & Wales) with a distinguished track record of advising on complex and high-profile matters. With over five years of focused experience in dispute resolution, her practice encompasses DIFC litigation, onshore UAE litigation, and domestic and international arbitration. She has developed particular expertise in handling cross-border, high-value commercial disputes, construction claims, and employment matters, consistently delivering strategic, results-driven advice to clients. Her experience includes managing cases from initial advisory stages through to final resolution, working closely with clients to navigate risk and achieve favorable outcomes.

In addition to her disputes practice, Ahmed regularly advises high-net-worth individuals on estate planning, including the structuring and drafting of wills, with a strong understanding of cross-border considerations.

Riemer holds dual LL.B. degrees in English and Spanish law and two LL.M. degrees, including an LL.M. in International Arbitration from the White & Case International Arbitration Program at the University of Miami School of Law.

She has gained international arbitration experience through traineeships at leading global law firms including Dentons and White & Case, where she contributed to arbitration proceedings under institutional rules including the Swiss Arbitration Centre and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), supporting jurisdictional strategy and matters relating to the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards across multiple jurisdictions.

Prior to joining the firm, she also served as Legal Counsel in Spain, advising international clients on relocation, immigration, corporate structuring and domestic and international tax matters.

Commenting on the appointments, Dr. Mahmood Hussain, Founding Partner at M&CO Legal, said,

“We are delighted to welcome Tonderai, Aleefa and Anna Maria to M&CO Legal. These appointments represent an important step in the continued growth of our international disputes practice. Each of them brings valuable experience and international perspective that will further enhance our ability to support clients navigating complex cross-border disputes.”

Tariq Khan, Head of International Disputes at M&CO Legal, added,

“The nature of disputes we are handling is becoming far more international spanning India, Russia, China & Africa remaining a core focus for us. Building a team with diverse legal backgrounds, language capabilities and multi-jurisdictional experience is critical to how we operate and advise clients today.”

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