Akin is expected to open a new office in Riyadh later this year, its third in the Middle East, and it will be co-led by newly appointed partner Alexander Malahias.
Malahias was most recently a partner in the project development and finance practice at White & Case, based across the firm’s London and Riyadh offices.
He has joined Akin in Abu Dhabi as a corporate and finance partner after nearly two decades at White & Case.
Malahias will co-lead the firm’s expansion into Saudi Arabia. Records show that Akin has not yet obtained a foreign law firm licence from the Ministry of Justice.
Malahias advises government entities, sponsors, financial institutions, corporate and creditor clients on project finance transactions across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider Middle East region. His practice spans key sectors, including energy transition projects, large-scale tourism and real estate, oil & gas and petrochemicals, power and utilities, and infrastructure.
He has played a pivotal role in major transactions in the Middle East, including advising Red Sea Global, a subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), on the financing of Phase One of the Red Sea Project, and Saudi Aramco in connection with the $8 billion expansion of Saudi Arabia’s Petro Rabigh project.
Akin has two offices in the UAE. It opened an office in Abu Dhabi in 2008 and further expanded its Middle East presence to Dubai in 2014.
The firm’s upcoming launch in Riyadh comes as Saudi Arabia reforms its rules to allow foreign law firms to operate independently in the Kingdom.
Already the likes of Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Clifford Chance, and Linklaters are operating independently in the Kingdom after obtaining licences from the Ministry of Justice. Most recently, Pillsbury signalled its intention to open an office in Riyadh, while Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner plans to open two offices in Riyadh and Al Khobar.
