Jones Day has appointed international disputes and investigations specialist Sheila Shadmand as partner-in-charge of the its Middle East Region.

The move puts her in charge of the firm’s Dubai office and two offices in Saudi Arabia: in Riyadh and Khobar.

She takes over from Javade Chaudhri, who will continue his practice advising clients on transactions, compliance and investigations in Saudi Arabia and Africa.

Shadmand helped set up the firm’s Dubai office in 2009 and has served as partner-in-charge since 2013. She has full rights of audience in the DIFC Courts.

She joined Jones Day in Washington DC and has defended clients before the DOJ and the SEC, having – according to her LinkedIn profile – ‘represented many of the firm’s largest clients in commercial litigation, arbitration, and investigations’ during her more than 20 years at the firm.

She said she was excited by the prospect of advising the firm’s multinational clients on regional expansion plans.

She added: “Technology and connectivity are bringing our clients closer to places that were previously inaccessible. At the same time and for the same reasons, the increased transparency and rule of law expansion is benefiting more corners of the world than ever before, and helping overcome hurdles to progress in more of the Region's economies.”

Jones Day’s managing partner, Stephen Brogan, underlined the firm’s commitment to Saudi Arabia, where it has had a presence for more than 40 years, as it “embarks on a period of remarkable social and economic change designed to fuel its growing economy for the future”.

According to the firm’s website, it has 12 lawyers in Dubai and eight in Saudi Arabia. In 2017 the firm hit the headlines for its hire of Herbert Smith Freehills’ Middle East finance head Nadim Khan.

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