BCLP has announced plans to open offices in Saudi Arabia, becoming the latest in a procession of international firms to turn its attention to the Kingdom. 

The transatlantic firm will open bases in Riyadh and the coastal city of Al-Khobar, a move it described as an “important next step” for its growth strategy in the Middle East. 

The firm, which has had a presence in the region for nearly 20 years and already has bases in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Tel Aviv, said the new offices will “offer the full spectrum of legal services across multiple sectors”.

The firm has hired Othman Alshmry and Sam Eversman as partners to head its Saudi operations; both men were previously partners at Al-Khobar-based firm KSA USA Legal, also known as AlSaweed Law Firm. Alshmry will also take up the role of managing partner for BCLP’s offices in the Kingdom. 

Current BCLP partners Farida Sadiq and Richard Dupay will lead the firm’s transition into the jurisdiction alongside Dubai and Abu Dhabi managing partner Richard Davies, the firm said. Both are based in Dubai and bring extensive experience in the Gulf region across regulatory matters and construction and technology disputes respectively. 

“Growing in Saudi Arabia is a crucial part of the firm’s growth strategy,” said Steven Baumer, BCLP’s chief executive officer. “Othman and Sam are excellent additions to the partnership, and they will bring deep knowledge of the region to their leadership roles as well as bolster our client offering. We’ve been working successfully with Othman and Sam for many years, and we are pleased to now have a roster of four partners leading our offices in Saudi Arabia.”

BCLP said the launch would build on its existing work in Saudi Arabia and enable it to grow its market share in a region experiencing a surge in client demand. Pointing to its capabilities across real estate, corporate, projects and construction, and broader litigation offering, it added that it was “strategically positioned to support multi-billion-dollar projects and attract new clients across both private and public sectors, including opportunities linked to the Vision 2030 plan”.

For his part, Alshmry brings a focus on litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration and has more than 20 years’ experience litigating cases in the Commercial and Shari’ah Courts, the Board of Grievances and various other judicial and quasi-judicial bodies in Saudi Arabia. 

He previously worked at Baker Botts as special counsel and head of litigation in Saudi Arabia from 2014 to 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“I am very excited to support BCLP’s launch of two offices in Saudi Arabia,” Alshmry said. “Our team in the region and BCLP’s globally are well-positioned to provide best in class legal services to our clients in Saudi Arabia across all business sectors in this vibrant, fast-paced market.”

Meantime Eversman was a partner at Baker Botts from 2013 to 2018 and earlier was a partner at legacy Bryan Cave in Saudi Arabia. He brings more than three decades of experience in Saudi regulatory and commercial advisory work within Saudi Arabia, advising on matters including market entry, structuring, establishment and operations in both private and public sector procurement. 

News of the launches follows dozens of leading US and UK law firms opening offices in the Kingdom or applying to do so after the oil-rich nation changed its code of law practice to enable foreign firms to set up their own practices without the constraints of a local partner. The change in 2023 came with a number of conditions, including that 70% of a firm’s lawyers must be Saudi nationals. 

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

BCLP’s Saudi announcement comes just a day after Reed Smith said it had secured its licence from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice.