Paul Hastings has added corporate finance capabilities in its new Abu Dhabi office with the hire of a partner from White & Case.
William Watson has joined the firm after more than a decade based in White & Case’s Dubai office.
He is the latest addition to an eight-partner, 20-lawyer team from White & Case that has reunited at Paul Hastings over the last three months across offices in Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, and Houston. He will work with partners Dinmukhamed (Din) Eshanov, George Kazakov, Ibaad Hakim, Xavier Petet, Stefan Mrozinski and Habeeb Rahman— who joined as part of an energy and infrastructure team announced in April—bringing additional corporate finance experience to the international cross-practice group.
Watson has experience advising borrowers and lenders across a broad range of debt finance matters, including private credit, leveraged finance, restructuring, and general corporate finance.
He advises banks, private credit funds, direct lenders, export credit agencies, sponsors, and corporate and sovereign borrowers on both conventional and Islamic finance transactions across the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.
“We are excited to welcome Will to the firm,” said partner Mo Nurmohamed, co-chair of the firm’s global finance practice. “His extensive experience in complex finance transactions in the region strengthens our existing offering in Abu Dhabi and further enhances our ability to serve clients in the region and globally on their most significant matters.”
“I am delighted to reunite with my former colleagues and help build out Paul Hastings’ UAE and broader regional platform,” added Watson. “I look forward to supporting the energy and infrastructure team in Abu Dhabi while adding experience that is synergistic with the firm’s exceptional global finance practice, in particular its Band 1 private credit and lender side finance offering.”
Paul Hastings’ new Abu Dhabi office is its first in the Middle East. The US-headquartered firm has 23 offices across the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
Abu Dhabi is abuzz with activity, driven by sovereign wealth fund investments and cross-border deals. Energy transitions, digitalisation, and supply chain diversification bring further opportunities to the UAE capital.
