Two law firms have announced office launches in the Middle East this week, as international firms increasingly look to the region.

Akin said on Wednesday (25 June) it had received final approval from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice to open an office in Riyadh, while Addlesahw Goddard announced it was launching in Abu Dhabi, its fifth office in the region. 

Akin’s new office will be its third in the Middle East, where it currently has around 38 lawyers across offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The firm first announced plans to open in Riyadh in March, when it hired corporate partner Alexander Malahias and finance partner Jennifer Riddle from White & Case to support the launch. 

Malahias will lead the new office and relocate from Abu Dhabi alongside Riddle. The duo bring a track record of advising government entities, sponsors, financial institutions and corporates on large-scale projects across the region. In the next few months they will be joined by investment funds partner Skye Smith, who joined from DLA Piper in Houston at the start of June. 

“Opening in Riyadh will mark an important step for Akin,” said Akin co-chair Abid Qureshi. “Our goal is to continue to build a global platform that anticipates our clients’ needs and positions us where they need us most. Saudi Arabia is central to the transformation currently underway across the region, and our presence in Riyadh reinforces our commitment to supporting clients in the markets shaping the future.”

Akin’s Saudi launch follows the kingdom changing its code of law practice in 2023 to enable foreign firms to set up their own practices without the constraints of a local partner. The change came with a number of conditions, including that 70% of a firm’s lawyers must be Saudi nationals.

Dozens of leading US and UK law firms have opened offices in the kingdom or applied to do so since the rule changes, as the kingdom becomes increasingly important for clients. The Saudi government’s Vision 2030 project to diversify its economy away from dependency on oil has seen it launch $1.3trn in real estate and infrastructure projects alone over the past eight years, Bloomberg reported.

Many law firms, like Clifford Chance, Linklaters and Latham & Watkins, had previously operated there through associations with local outfits, while others, including Greenberg Traurig and CMS, have entered the market for the first time. Addleshaw Goddard also debuted there in late 2023.

Now Addleshaws has strengthened its Middle East presence with the launch of an office in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, the capital of the United Arab Emirates’ international financial centre. The new office will support clients in sectors including financial services, energy, infrastructure and technology. 

Robin Hickman, Addleshaws’ head of Middle East, said the launch was a vital step in the firm’s regional strategy. 

“With Abu Dhabi’s rapidly diversifying economy, this expansion enables us to play a key role in delivering legal solutions that drive growth and innovation,” he added. 

The firm now has 27 partners and nearly 100 lawyers across the Middle East, where it also has offices in Dubai, Muscat and Doha.

Paul Hastings also opened an office in Abu Dhabi in March after hiring a team from White & Case, while Skadden made its Middle East debut in the city in January, recruiting senior corporate partner Michael Hilton from Freshfields to spearhead the launch. 

Abu Dhabi has also recently seen new office openings from Paul Hastings and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.