Chadbourne & Parke LLP is pleased to announce that corporate lawyer Romi H. Nayef has joined the firm’s Dubai office as an international partner. Mr. Nayef joins Chadbourne from Greenberg Traurig LLP where he served as Head of the Middle East Practice Group.

Having worked in the Middle East for more than 10 years, Mr. Nayef focuses on corporate and commercial transactions in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. He has strong relationships with government and business leaders throughout the Gulf, and has advised on many important commercial and infrastructure projects in the region.

“We are pleased to welcome Romi to our team in Dubai. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from his many years practicing law in the Middle East, and he expands our capabilities and value proposition to clients doing business in the region,” said Daniel J. Greenwald, managing partner of the Dubai office. “Romi’s practice – including his extensive experience and vast network of contacts in the Gulf – will be a tremendous complement to our team, and we look forward to working with him.”

Mr. Nayef’s practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, subsidiary management, structuring corporate entities, governance and regulatory issues, and FCPA compliance. Additionally, he advises the government of the State of Qatar on numerous matters, including public-private partnership (PPP) initiatives and sovereign bond offerings. He is highly experienced in regulatory issues relating to regional financial authorities such as the DIFC, QFC, QFMA, SAMA, and has led several IPOs, including the privatization of government assets through public offerings.

Mr. Nayef previously served as COO of a boutique consulting firm in Qatar, and partner at a major global law firm in its Doha, Qatar office.

“Chadbourne has a first rate practice in Dubai,” said Mr. Nayef. “They are market leaders for energy and infrastructure development, and I believe their international platform will be an excellent foundation as I continue to grow my practice in the Middle East and elsewhere. I look forward to joining the team.”

Chadbourne has a longstanding commitment to the Middle East. The firm established its Dubai office in 2007 to expand its presence in the corporate/M&A, energy, project finance and construction markets across the region. Research prepared by IJGlobal showed that Chadbourne was the second most active law firm working on project finance in the MENA region in 2015, and The Legal 500 recently recognized the firm’s strengths in “Energy and Infrastructure,” “Construction” and “Corporate and M&A” in the United Arab Emirates.