Patton Boggs LLP has strengthened its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the opening of a permanent office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Patton Boggs now boasts four offices in the MENA region: in addition to the new Dubai location, the firm maintains offices in Doha, Qatar; Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. and an affiliate office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Patton Boggs is also pleased to announce the arrival of three lawyers and a regional director of business development and marketing, who join Patton Boggs from Kilpatrick Townsend as the inaugural team in Dubai: Thomas P. Wilson, formerly a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend, Scott Hutton, formerly an associate, and Angie Hegazi, formerly head of business development and marketing (MENA) join Patton Boggs from Kilpatrick Townsend’s Dubai office. Mr. Wilson joins Patton Boggs as a partner, Mr. Hutton as of counsel, and Ms. Hegazi as regional director of business development and marketing. They are joined in Dubai by Jonathan M. Taunton, another former associate, who joins Patton Boggs from Kilpatrick Townsend in Atlanta, as an associate. Mr. Wilson will head Patton Boggs Construction practice in the region.
As a team, the group brings exceptional experience with and understanding of concerns unique to the construction and infrastructure sector in the region, with a particular focus on public and private capital improvement projects, dispute resolution, contract negotiations and related transactions, contract compliance issues, and project risk management and mitigation. With the opening of the Dubai office, Patton Boggs will establish strong, regionally based capabilities in these areas, thus strengthening the scope of its offerings to the MENA region.
For many years, Patton Boggs has been a trusted partner to clients supporting key sectors of the MENA economy, and has been widely recognized for excellence in such areas as project finance, real estate development, private and institutional investment, intellectual property, and corporate counsel to business interests operating in or new to the MENA region.
With the arrival of Mr. Wilson, Mr. Hutton and Mr. Taunton, Patton Boggs enhances its ability to advise clients engaged in the construction and infrastructure industries in the region. Lauded in Legal 500 as “experienced, capable and practical,” Mr. Wilson has represented a range of construction and engineering industry clients, from throughout MENA, in the resolution of a diverse range of construction disputes. He is regularly involved in DIAC, ICC and LCIA arbitrations as advocate, and occasionally accepts appointments to sit as arbitrator. In addition, Legal 500 notes Mr. Hutton’s “attention to detail, in-depth knowledge of the applicable laws and interpretation of the law’s application in the commercial environment of Dubai.”
“We are all extremely pleased to welcome Tom Wilson, Scott Hutton, Angie Hegazi and Jonathan Taunton to Patton Boggs as the first members of our new Dubai team and the foundation of our practice there” said William L. Nash III, managing partner of the firm’s Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. office and a member of the firm’s International Business and MENA practice groups. “They are an excellent addition to the Patton Boggs team, and will ‘round out’ the scope of our MENA-based legal services.”
“Patton Boggs is committed to continued growth in the MENA region,” noted Edward J. Newberry, managing partner of Patton Boggs. “Our move into Dubai fulfills another of our key strategic objectives for MENA, toward expanding and strengthening our capabilities to best meet the needs of public as well as private sector clients,” Newberry added. Currently, Patton Boggs’ MENA offices boast strength in construction and infrastructure, project finance, real estate, private capital and investment, and trade, among many others.
“From a practice standpoint, our focus is on service areas aligned with the political and economic development now changing the face of the MENA region,” Newberry added. “Many of our highly specialized practices support goals of governments in the region: we advise the tourism and hospitality sectors, infrastructure, and also educational institutions that have been invited to establish a presence in the region,” Newberry added.
The firm’s move into Dubai is the latest in series of highly strategic moves demonstrating the firm’s commitment to the region. In 2012, the firm affiliated with The Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, further building its MENA presence. In addition to the Dubai team, the firm has enjoyed great success in recruiting, attracting lateral moves from local offices of leading firms.
Susan B. Bastress, who opened Patton Boggs’ Doha office in 2003, rejoined the firm in early 2013 as managing partner in Doha. Ms. Bastress was the first non-Qatari licensed to practice law there. In addition, Brian J. Pierce–well-known for his work in MENA-based project development and finance–joined Patton Boggs’ Corporate Finance practice earlier this year from the London office of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where he was special counsel, Middle East.
