Squire Patton Boggs (SPB) is set to open an office in Baku, Azerbaijan, the firm announced today.
The office will be SPB’s 48th globally, the firm having completed the professional formalities to register its presence in the resources-rich Eurasian nation. It will be led by existing SPB partner Richard Gibbon, who is currently based in the UAE and focuses on internal investigations and global financial crimes compliance and defence.
SPB’s chair and CEO, Mark Ruehlmann, called the Baku launch “an important milestone in our firm’s continued international expansion.”
He added: “Azerbaijan is a growing and strategically important market, and our new office will allow us to be even closer to our clients and the opportunities driving investment and development across the region.”
Gibbon, who will lead the Azerbaijani practice and serve as managing partner of the Baku office, said the launch would build on the firm’s long-standing relationships with clients across Azerbaijan’s increasingly diverse economy.
“Having worked closely with many of these clients for years, we look forward to continuing to support their growth from within the country’s capital,” he said.
Gibbon already spends “material” amounts of time in Azerbaijan and will increase his presence there once the office opens, expected in early 2026, SPB said. The office will act as a hub for other SPB lawyers working on matters for local clients, with the firm also expecting to make local hires once the office opens.
“Our first-mover status demonstrates our commitment to the market and gives us a significant advantage as we continue our growth trajectory,” said Steve Mahon, the firm’s global managing partner for clients and strategy. “Under Rich’s leadership, our growing relationships and workflows are a team effort involving partners from across our transactional, disputes and policy practices.
“We are ideally positioned to support clients as they navigate the opportunities emerging from Azerbaijan’s economy, energy transition and expanding role in regional and global trade.”
Relatively few international law firms have established a presence in Baku, with Dentons being a notable exception. James Hogan leads that office as a senior partner alongside two co-managing partners, Kamil Valiyev and Ulvia Zeynalova-Bockin.
KPMG, BDO, PwC and Deloitte also maintain a presence in Azerbaijan, alongside established local law firms such as Grata International, MGB Law Offices and BM Morrison Partners.
The Azerbaijani expansion follows a period of investment by SPB in both emerging and established markets. It opened an office in Riyadh in 2023 and in Astana, Kazakhstan last year, alongside office launches in Amsterdam and Geneva in 2024.
Following Azerbaijan’s recent conflict with Armenia over a disputed enclave, peace in the region has meant greater interest in investment in the Central Asian nation from the Gulf States, the UK and the European Union. All of those parties have sent trade delegations to explore both conventional and clean energy opportunities, as well as greater diversification into tourism, infrastructure and digital innovation.
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