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International Edition

McGrigors makes Middle East debut with launch of Qatar office

McGrigors has opened its first base in the Middle East with the launch of an office in Qatar. The Doha office, which opened today (14 March) in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), will be headed by energy and infrastructure partner James Elwen, who has relocated from the firm's London office.
2 minute read

International Edition

Al Tamimi recruits Gide partner to boost finance practice in Qatar

Middle East firm Al Tamimi has moved to strengthen its Qatar banking and finance practice with the hire of Gide Loyrette Nouel partner Sami Fakhoury. Fakhoury, who specialises in structured and project finance, will join the Al Tamimi partnership on 1 March.
1 minute read

International Edition

Eversheds wins dispute over South Africa trading name

Eversheds' South African ally has won its longstanding legal dispute over its trading name, allowing it to trade under the UK firm's brand. In a closely-watched case for law firms looking to rebrand associated offices in the country, a South African court ruled on Wednesday (23 February) that alliance law firm Routledge Modise did not break local law by changing its name to Eversheds.
2 minute read

International Edition

A&O and Skadden take top roles on Shell's $1bn Africa shareholding sale

Allen & Overy (A&O) and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom have won the lead mandates on Shell's $1bn (£617m) sale of parts of its African business. The deal, which comes as Shell moves to sell off non-core operations, will see oil trader Vitol and private equity firm Helios Investment Partners acquire the majority of Shell's shareholdings in its downstream businesses in Africa.
2 minute read

International Edition

SJ Berwin brings in new litigation partner for Dubai office

SJ Berwin has grown its Dubai arm with the hire of Al Tamimi regional arbitration head Mark Hoyle as a partner for its local litigation and arbitration practice. Hoyle joined the City law firm on 1 February from the Dubai office of Al Tamimi. He marks the third partner for SJ Berwin's local practice. He specialises in litigation and arbitration with a particular focus on the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.
2 minute read

International Edition

BLP brings in two partners for Abu Dhabi real estate practice

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has strengthened its Middle East real estate practice with two partner hires in Abu Dhabi. Simmons & Simmons Middle East head of real estate David Nunn joined BLP earlier this month to take up a newly-created role as real estate head for the Middle East and North Africa. Before relocating to the region five years ago, Nunn, who was based in Abu Dhabi, was a partner at Simmons' City arm for eight years.
2 minute read

International Edition

Local leaders rank alongside Links, Freshfields and Herbert Smith in Middle East/Asia M&A

South African practice Webber Wentzel and Linklaters have topped the rankings by deal volume and value respectively in the Middle East and Africa after deals increased 6.3% last year. While both deal value and volume are up on 2009 figures, with 302 deals worth $49.4bn (£31bn) in 2010 compared to 284 deals worth $32.2bn (£20bn) the previous year, both fall far short of pre-recession figures, according to the latest Mergermarket statistics.
3 minute read

International Edition

Jones Day to launch trio of offices in Saudi with local tie-up

Jones Day is set to launch three associate offices in Saudi Arabia during 2011 through an informal tie-up with local law firm Alsulaim Alawaji & Partners. The offices will be located in Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar, and will bring the total number of Jones Day locations to 37. The Riyadh office was the first to open its doors earlier this month (1 January), and will be overseen by projects partner Yusuf Giansiracusa, who rejoined Jones Day after stints at Alsulaim Alawaji and as Winston & Strawn's Riyadh managing partner.
2 minute read

International Edition

Middle East and African Law Firm of the Year

Edward Nathan Sonnenbergs (ENS) lays claim to be the largest full-service law firm in Africa and has continued to grow during the financial crisis. It has advised on many of the region's most notable corporate deals. It also has pro bono offices in two of South Africa's townships where staff do a minimum of 32 hours of legal work a year, which is considerably higher than the Law Society of South Africa's guideline commitment. Important deals the firm has advised on include the R30bn (£2.8bn) merger between Momentum and Metropolitan Life to create one of the largest listed insurance companies in South Africa. The merger is viewed as an opportunity for both parties to make the merged entity more attractive to institutional investors, which may have shunned Metropolitan in the past due to its size relative to its peers.
2 minute read

International Edition

SNR Denton advises Qatari team on winning bid to host 2022 World Cup

SNR Denton has advised Qatar on its successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The firm's team, which included a raft of lawyers from its sports, intellectual property and corporate groups, was led by Doha-based partner Leigh Hall, alongside Dallas partner Darren Collins and London consultant Adrian Barr-Smith.
2 minute read

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