Mayer Brown hired partner duo Charles Hallab and Tom Thraya from Baker & McKenzie at the end of last year in preparation for its launch in Dubai, but has since been waiting on regulatory approval for the new office. The pair will be based in Dubai full-time and will be the sole partners at the office until its operations are up and running, after which more hires are expected. London-based Middle East dispute and arbitration co-head Raid Abu-Manneh and Paris based co-head Dany Khayat will also provide considerable support to the new office while remaining based in Europe.

Source: The Lawyer