Mayer Brown has agreed a cooperation arrangement with Saudi Arabian firm Al-Yaqoub Attorneys & Legal Advisers, a deal that will give the US outfit access to on-the-ground resources in the Middle Eastern country.

The tie-up comes after Mayer Brown made its first move into the Middle East with the launch of a Dubai office in 2016.

While the two firms will remain separate partnerships, Mayer Brown expects the Saudi link-up to reinforce its ability to serve its multinational clients' investment, investigation, disputes and transactional needs.

The deal will see the two firms jointly pursue and carry out legal work, with a particular focus on advising on large projects, privatisations and partnerships.

Al-Yaqoub is led by managing partner Montaser Al-Mohammed, who before founding the firm in 2006 was head of legal services for Saudi Arabia at EY. He is also vice-chair of the International Chamber of Commerce for Saudi Arabia.

The tie-up comes after Hogan Lovells' arrangement with the Saudi firm dissolved at the tail end of 2016. A Hogan Lovells spokesperson said the alliance – which dated back to 2009 – ended on a mutual basis after the two firms felt their "objectives were now different".

Interest in the region has risen in the last couple of years since Saudi Arabia's launch of its 'Saudi Vision 2030' initiative, through which the nation expects to free up its markets, deliver household savings and increase its non-oil government revenue.

Saudi rules prevent international law firms from operating in the country without a local partner firm, resulting in a number of international tie-ups.

This January, DLA Piper transferred its Saudi operations to the newly-created Amer Al Amr Law Firm, while last year Pinsent Masons and Linklaters tied up with Riyadh firms Alsabhan & Alajaji and Zamakhchary & Co respectively.