Under the leadership of Rick Ward, the Emirates Group's legal department has been restructured into three divisions to align lawyers more closely with the group's core activities. This has helped the department respond to an exceptionally busy year that has included the delivery of more than 30 wide-bodied aircraft and Emirates' alliance with Qantas. "They had remarkable projects and met unprecedented targets," said the judges.  

The legal team comprises 11 lawyers, five legal managers and four support staff, and has undergone considerable expansion since the beginning of 2012, reflecting the growth of the Emirates Group's business activities across the globe. Following the reorganisation, three teams of lawyers now cover Emirates and group services, air travel services provider Dnata and its associated companies, and aircraft financing/corporate finance. The group's lawyers are also allocated specific legal responsibilities including sanctions, data protection and competition law. 

The aim of the shake-up was to reduce duplication of work, improve communication with the business units, increase specialist expertise and rationalise the instruction of outside counsel. The new structure has enabled the team to handle a plethora of legal work. The expansion of the fleet, including the unprecedented delivery of three aircraft in one day, was financed using innovative legal structures. At the same time, the team was successfully negotiating the legal work surrounding the alliance with Qantas, a number of acquisitions, including that of online UK business Travel Republic and Australian aircraft cleaning business Broadlex Air Services, and an array of sponsorship deals, such as that of London cable car Emirates Air Line.