Reed Smith has opened an office in Riyadh, its third in the Middle East, after hiring a partner and two members of his team from a local independent firm.
Disputes partner Emad Alshaikhi has joined the top 50 US firm from Saudi independent Mahassni & Co, where he was co-managing partner, along with a senior associate and a government relations officer.
They will be supported by European and Middle East managing partner Gregor Pryor, who has been seconded to Riyadh to help get it up and running.
It is the firm’s third office in the Middle East, where it has had a presence since 1978 when it opened in Abu Dhabi before adding Dubai to the network.
Pryor told GLP his secondment to Riyadh would “get the office established and demonstrate our investment in the region”, adding that he anticipated several practice group heads would also be spending time in Riyadh soon.
“Over the last six years, the revenue generated by our Middle East offices has grown; we’re expecting to hit the ground running, and we will be looking for the best talent in the market to join the team here as we continue to grow,” he said.
Pryor noted the firm had invested in developing local lawyers through the recently launched Reed Smith Academy, a training programme that enables in-house legal teams and law firms in the Middle East to sponsor individuals in the process of qualifying as a solicitor in England and Wales.
He described the new office as “the natural next step in the evolution of our client offering in the region”, citing Saudi Arabia’s ambitious economic diversification programme, Vision 2030, as potentially generating significant business opportunities commensurate with Reed Smith’s client focus on the finance, energy, entertainment and media, life sciences and transportation sectors.
Alshaikhi has more than 15 years of experience advising clients on high-value commercial disputes, government projects and transactions in the kingdom. At launch, his team includes US-qualified senior associate Foram Majmudar, who has advised on significant projects in Saudi Arabia, such as Riyadh Metro, Green Riyadh, NEOM, PIF-backed projects and port concessions, and government relations officer Sami Saafa, who will support the firm’s regulatory and client initiatives.
He said the link-up with Reed Smith would enable him “to keep pace with the fast-growing market and to better support clients across a wide range of business needs and high-profile projects, while also contributing to the Saudi market’s growth”.
Casey Ryan, Reed Smith’s global managing partner, said: “For more than 45 years, we have proudly partnered with clients across the Middle East, and we are committed to further strengthening our presence in this dynamic and rapidly evolving region.”
Noting the firm’s long regional history, she said that its historic presence and wider global platform made it “uniquely qualified” to serve clients, while Pryor’s relocation “underscores our commitment to be a leading force in this fast-growing legal market”.
Notwithstanding regional volatility elsewhere in the Middle East, Ryan said she was “mindful of the political and economic factors in every region where we have offices”, but given the firm’s history, she was “excited about the expanded opportunities that opening in Riyadh presents”.
Dozens of leading US and UK law firms have opened offices in Saudi Arabia since the oil-rich nation changed its code of law practice in 2023 to enable foreign firms to set up their own practices without the constraints of a local partner.
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.
In February, BCLP opened offices in Riyadh and the coastal city of Al-Khobar, while a month earlier, King & Spalding merged with local firm Al Fahad & Partners to create King & Spalding Al Fahad.
Meanwhile, the launch of the Riyadh office continues Reed Smith’s recent growth trajectory, following new offices in Atlanta and Denver earlier this year. It has added more than 125 lawyers in 2025, bringing its Middle East headcount to more than 25 lawyers, including seven partners.
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