Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has secured a licence to operate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The firm established a presence in Riyadh through a tie-up with Trafua Legal Consultants in 2021, and will now fully integrate the office with its global operations, according to a statement. It will be staffed by both Saudi and international lawyers.
Curtis’ Middle East practice spans offices in Riyadh, Dubai, and Muscat. In Riyadh, the firm has seven partners, including managing partner Darren Wallis, and two associates, according to its website.
“This was the logical next step for us given our expanding practice, both inbound and outbound, in this exciting and important market,” said the firm’s chairman, George Kahale in a statement. “We will continue to focus on our traditional areas of strength—international transactions, international tax, investment management, international trade, international litigation and arbitration, and public international law.”
Several international law firms have sought to establish a foothold in Saudi Arabia since it became mandatory to obtain a licence by the Ministry of Justice to continue to advise clients on the ground.
The new legal framework is aimed at encouraging investment in Saudi legal talent and ensuring that work can be created from within the region, with local legal expertise growing accordingly.
Other law firms to obtain Saudi licences in recent months include Allen & Overy (now A&O Shearman), Addleshaw Goddard, King & Spalding, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, and Squire Patton Boggs.
Meanwhile, some law firms such as Clyde & Co, Greenberg Traurig, Latham & Watkins and most recently, Baker McKenzie, have established Saudi Arabia as their regional headquarters (RHQ) under the Kingdom’s new RHQ programme, a government initiative offering various incentives to businesses who establish Saudi Arabia as their regional headquarters.
