Here is a round-up of the top legal moves in law firms and in-house across the Middle East in the third quarter (July-September) of 2024, broken down by cities and practice areas, and listed chronologically with the most recent first.
Law firms continue to hire experienced corporate law specialists in the Middle East, where transactional activity remains strong, driven by sovereign wealth fund investments and cross-border deals.
“The transactional legal market has gained momentum noticeably post-summer,” said Jonathan Berry, director and head of legal recruitment company Beacon Legal Middle East, in conversation with Law Middle East. “A number of law firms are looking to make experienced hires within corporate M&A, which indicates confidence in the current market and anticipation of an upwards trend as we head into 2025.”
“With continued investment in the region, notably by sovereign wealth funds, law firms are also looking to bolster their funds practices as well as develop areas which are not common for international law firms in the UAE, such as tax, with law firms aiming to capitalise on growth,” he said.
In terms of location the bulk of activity continues to be in Dubai, where 11 notable lawyer moves were made, followed by seven in Riyadh, four in Abu Dhabi, and one in Doha.
Riyadh, in particular, saw more lawyer moves this quarter than in the last, with a number of prominent individuals from the judiciary through to in-house appointed as partners at international law firms.
Meanwhile, Baker McKenzie made the most new hires, bringing on three new partners across practice areas in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh.
DUBAI
Baker Botts: construction
Stuart Jordan moved from London to Dubai as global head of construction.
Hadef & Partners: engineering & construction
Hadef & Partners appointed Scott Hutton as a partner and head of engineering & construction. He joined the firm alongside Karim Haider, an associate in the team. He was formerly a partner at EKP Legal Counsel (now BLK Partners).
Baker McKenzie: dispute resolution
Sally Kotb rejoined Baker McKenzie as a dispute resolution partner from Habib Al Mulla & Partners, where she was head of arbitration.
Clifford Chance: antitrust
Sabra Ferhat relocated from Clifford Chance’s London office for the role of counsel. She is the first antitrust lawyer for the firm in the UAE, and will build upon the regional practice.
Norton Rose Fulbright: banking & finance
Norton Rose Fulbright hired banking and finance partner Aditi Sanyal from Simmons & Simmons. She trained at Norton Rose Fulbright, marking a return for her to the firm.
CMS: banking & finance
CMS appointed partner Robin Balmer to support the growth of the firm’s banking and finance practice in the Middle East, based in Dubai. He joined from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he led the firm’s banking and finance practice in Saudi Arabia.
Ashurst: dispute resolution
Ashurst appointed Shane Jury to the partnership, who joined the firm alongside senior associate Emma Tormey. The duo, who specialise in dispute resolution, joined from Addleshaw Goddard, where Jury led the firm’s Middle East commercial disputes practice.
Dechert: funds
Amanjit K. Fagura joined Dechert’s financial services and investment management group from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, where she was a partner.
Habib Al Mulla and Partners: corporate
Daria Selivanova joined the firm as counsel in the corporate and M&A team. The Russia and England & Wales-qualified lawyer’s hire from AX Law came after the firm opened an office in Moscow, Russia.
Greenberg Traurig: corporate, white collar crime
Pawel J. Szaja joined the firm’s Dubai office, working across Dubai, Riyadh, and London, from A&O Shearman. He is a specialist in corporate finance, focusing his practice on capital markets and mergers and acquisitions across the EMEA region.
Benjamin Jones joined the firm’s UAE and KSA offices as a local partner, based in Dubai. He specialises in white collar defence and investigations, and was previously a senior associate at Al Tamimi & Company.
BSA Law: energy
BSA Law appointed a new partner and head of energy and natural resources for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Frances-Yvonne Igweh joined from Spencer West, where she was a partner and head of the UK-headquartered international firm’s Africa practice.
ABU DHABI
Baker McKenzie: technology
Dino Wilkinson joined as a partner and head of the firm’s Middle East data, cyber, and technology practice from Clyde & Co.
Brodies Middle East: oil & gas
Gregor Hughes and Rachael Boyes joined the firm’s oil and gas practice, following the conclusion of client secondments at major energy companies in the Middle East.
A&O Shearman: corporate
A&O Shearman corporate partner Benjamin Crawford relocated to Abu Dhabi from Beijing.
Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas: corporate
Himanshu Chahar joined Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas as a partner and director in corporate transactions, marking a return for him to the firm where he previously worked for six years in New Delhi, India. He was formerly an associate at BSA Law.
RIYADH
Baker McKenzie: capital markets
Khalid Alyafi is due to join the firm’s transactional practice group on October 1 from Khoshaim & Associates (K&A).
Dentons: regulation
Abdullah Alsulaimi joined the firm’s regulatory and litigation practice as a partner. He previously served as the Deputy Minister for Laws and International Cooperation at the Ministry of Justice in Saudi Arabia.
White & Case: capital markets
Majed Alkuraydis rejoined White & Case as a partner from Al Faisaliah Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading investment companies, where he was general counsel.
Latham & Watkins: corporate
Partner Leen Zaza joined Latham & Watkin’s M&A and private equity practice from Khoshaim & Associates (K&A).
CMS: TMT
Technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) specialist Ken Wong joined CMS in Riyadh as a partner from Clyde & Co in Dubai, where he was a legal director.
Z&Co: tax
Osama Kurdi joined the Saudi Arabian law firm as a partner and head of its tax advisory and disputes practice. He has both an accounting and legal background, and was formerly a director for indirect tax claims at the General Secretariat of Zakat, Tax and Customs Committees in Saudi Arabia.
King & Spalding: funds
Haifa Bahaian joined the firm’s real estate and funds practice as a partner. She was formerly chief legal officer at Saudi Venture Capital.
DOHA
Charles Russell Speechlys: corporate
Charles Russell Speechlys strengthened its corporate, regulatory, and capital markets practices with the hire of Ahmad Anani in Doha. He joined the firm’s corporate team as head of capital markets and regulation for the Middle East from PwC Legal, where he was a partner and leader of legal business solutions.
Track the latest legal moves on Law Middle East. View the round-up from quarter two.
