Greenberg Traurig has hired a four-lawyer project finance team in Dubai from Norton Rose Fulbright (NRF), as the US firm prioritises growing its global infrastructure practice.
Shareholders Nicholas Kramer and Angela Croker have joined the firm’s project and infrastructure finance practice alongside a pair of counsel; Kramer will serve as Greenberg’s head of construction and projects for the Middle East, while Croker will head the firm’s project finance practice for the UAE.
“Elevating our global infrastructure practice is among the most important needs for our clients and, therefore, our firm,” said Richard Rosenbaum, Greenberg Traurig’s executive chairman.
“While this is most currently critical in the areas of energy and digital infrastructure, including data centres, the need goes beyond to many kinds of projects, especially in regions experiencing significant growth, such as the Middle East. Along with the necessary corporate/funds, real estate, hospitality, finance, disputes and other key practices that come into play, Nicholas, Angela and their team add strength as longtime infrastructure experts in the region to our already solid core in the UAE, KSA and elsewhere.”
Greenberg Traurig said the incoming team was expected to work closely with the Riyadh office the firm opened two years ago amid a flurry of international law firm activity in the kingdom. Following its arrival, the Dubai office, which the firm opened later in 2023 after hiring a pair of real estate partners from BCLP, will house more than 30 lawyers.
Kramer has made the move after five-year stints at NRF and CMS, serving as Middle East head of construction at both firms. He advises on projects throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa and across sectors including conventional and renewable power, water and wastewater, transportation, digital infrastructure, industrial, healthcare, education and commercial and residential developments.
Meanwhile, Croker has joined Greenberg Traurig after 23 years at NRF. She advises regional and international financial institutions, corporations and governments on banking matters. Her primary focus is the project financing of energy and infrastructure projects and she also has experience in structuring and negotiating complex financings for energy transition initiatives, PPPs and infrastructure developments.
Commenting on the team’s move, Madhavi Gosavi, NRF’s head of banking and finance (Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific), said the firm had “one of the longest-standing banking and finance practices of any international law firm in the Middle East” and had “gone from strength to strength in the past five years, seeing significant overall growth across Europe, Asia and the Middle East”.
She pointed to the hire of Simmons & Simmons banking partner Aditi Sanyal to the firm’s Dubai office last September, adding: “Last year, disputes partner Robin Springthorpe relocated to our Saudi office and, this month, projects partner Paul Mansouri is joining us in Dubai from London to take over leadership of the projects team in the region.
“We are also expecting to make a further new partner announcement in the coming weeks.”
According to the latest publicly available data tracked by Pirical, NRF has the sixth-largest presence in Dubai among the world’s largest law firms, with 55 legal professionals.
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