Texas law firm Vinson & Elkins has announced that it will open an office in Abu Dhabi. Vinson & Elkins also has an office in Dubai, making it the first American firm to have offices in both Middle Eastern legal centers. London energy partner Lewis Jones will move to Abu Dhabi to head the office as an administrative partner.
Source: www.legalweek.com
Rumors are flying that Gibson Dunn will soon open an office in China. Thelawyer.com is reporting that the firm intends to follow up its new Dubai branch with a Chinese one, citing a sound-bite from a higher-up stating that the firm is “continuing to look at Asia.”
Source: www.thelawyer.com
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has announced that they will open an office in Dubai, UAE, by the end of the year. According to representatives of the firm, this move makes sense as a solidification of their existing Middle Eastern practice. Gibson Dunn now has 14 offices, including five non-US branches.
Source: www.thelawyer.com
DLA Piper had announced that it will open offices in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is considering similar moves to Qatar and India. This is the firm’s second office in the UAE–it is already set up in Dubai–and they feel this expansion is warranted due to the booming real estate industry in the region. DLA Piper is not alone in its expansion in the Middle east; Charbourne & Parke opened a Dubai branch earlier this year, and Baker & McKenzie has offices in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
Bracewell & Giuliani has opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Partner David Stockwell will head the new office; he is a 25-year resident and legal practioner, as well as a former senior U.S. diplomat in residence there. The Dubai office will advise clients on doing business in Dubai, local labor law, commercial and corporate law, arbitration, licensing, litigation, energy, and environmental matters in the Arabian Gulf region.
Source: www.metrocorpcounsel.com
By affiliating with the Law Offices of Mohammed Al-Ammar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, King & Spalding has opened a new office in Riyadh. Tariq Abbadi, formerly of Baker Botts, will join the new office as of counsel. He focuses on corporate and Saudi regulatory work. King & Spalding also opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in December; the office now has eight lawyers.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
After a 14 year absence, NY-based Chadbourne & Parke will be returning to the United Arab Emirates when it opens in Dubai on May 1. Former Chadbourne partner, Jack Greenwald, will lead the new office, overseeing a legal staff of eight lawyers and paralegals. Greenwald has been practicing in Dubai since 1986. The new office will build on the firm’s energy/project finance and cross-border acquisition practices. Joining forces with Greenwald and his team, many members of which are native to the area, allows the firm to handle local law issues on behalf of UAE-based and international clients.
Source: www.pr-inside.com
Atlanta-based firm, King & Spalding, opened an office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, this week. Philip Weems, head of the firm’s international energy practice, moved from the firm’s 105-lawyer Houston office to Dubai to oversee the office. Besides Weems, three King & Spalding partners and three associates from Baker Botts’ Middle East outpost will staff the new office. King & Spalding’s Dubai office will focus on Islamic finance and energy, and has room for as many as 17 attorneys at the new office.
Source: www.nylawyer.com
