HFW has hired a partner in Kuwait as it reports Middle East revenue surged by more than 60% over the past two financial years.
Kashif Syed has joined the firm in Kuwait City from International Legal Group, having previously been at DLA Piper and Dentons.
He brings more than 16 years of experience in the Middle East—including 13 years in Kuwait—advising clients on cross-border transactions, M&A, corporate restructuring, insolvency, employment, consumer, and competition law.
HFW Kuwait office head Rula Dajani Abuljebain said:
“It is extremely rare to find lawyers in Kuwait with Kashif’s combination of deep local market knowledge and an international law firm background. Kashif also has experience in many of HFW’s core sectors—including aviation, construction, energy, and shipping—and his broad skillset will benefit our clients in Kuwait and the wider region.”
“We will now look to continue our growth in Kuwait as part of our plans for significant further expansion in the Middle East and globally,” she said.
Syed added: “HFW has the unique distinction of being the only international law firm in Kuwait, and its international clout and sector expertise represent an unrivalled offering for clients in the region.”
He becomes the fifth partner to join HFW in the Middle East over the past two years. The firm added Abdulrahman Al-Ohaly, a corporate and commercial partner, in Riyadh and Slava Kiryushin, a construction partner, in Dubai last year. In 2022, HFW hired shipping and offshore partners Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung in Dubai.
The news comes just weeks after HFW launched a new entity in Saudi Arabia as it received a licence from the Saudi Ministry of Justice to practise in the Kingdom.
HFW has been in the Middle East since 2006 and now has 20 partners and 60 lawyers across its offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Kuwait City, and Riyadh.
