Middle East/Saudi Arabia
Reed Smith builds in Saudi Arabia with corporate trio
US firm nearly doubles Riyadh headcount with two partners and an associate from local boutique AlAmmar Law
Majority of Gulf region companies now adopting Gen AI – survey
Deloitte report shows non-adoption rates almost halved in 2025, though most are still in pre-implementation phase
Hogan Lovells recruits Eversheds’ Saudi M&A head amid deals surge
Walid Salib joins as Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds help push deal volumes past $3trn in first three quarters
Morgan Lewis debuts in Saudi Arabia with hires from A&O Shearman, Al Tamimi
Former A&O Shearman Riyadh co-lead to spearhead launch of six-lawyer office, the latest in a procession of Saudi openings by international law firms
Stephenson Harwood debuts in Saudi Arabia with three-partner team
UK law firm joins Reed Smith, Bird & Bird and Pinsent Masons in expanding Middle East operations
Reed Smith expands in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia office launch
Venture will be overseen by European and Middle East managing partner who is being seconded to Riyadh
Greenberg Traurig adds hospitality group co-chair from Pinsent Masons
Louisa Lynch joins Elias Hayek to co-chair GT’s Middle East and European hospitality group from Dubai
Freshfields launches Saudi office, forms alliance with associate firm
Move follows Freshfields ranking as top M&A advisor in Middle East in first half
Greenberg Traurig hires Gulf hospitality law veteran from Squire Patton Boggs
Elias Hayek will co-chair GT’s Middle East and European hospitality group from its offices in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and London
Akin, Addleshaw Goddard open Middle East offices
Akin to launch in Riyadh as Addleshaw launches fifth regional base in Abu Dhabi
The Global Legal Post launches Law Over Borders Arbitration guide
Edited by Volterra Fietta partners Ahmed Abdel Hakam, Gunjan Sharma and Robert G. Volterra, guide offers cross-jurisdictional insight into arbitration law and practice
Bird & Bird to open office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Firm opens 34th global office in kingdom’s hot legal market as it targets €1bn in revenue
Akin hires White & Case partner ahead of Riyadh debut
Project finance specialist Alexander Malahias joins ahead of planned office launch later this year
Pinsent Masons launches in Saudi Arabia
London-based firm becomes latest to launch in kingdom’s hot legal market
BCLP to enter Saudi Arabia’s hot legal market with two offices
Transatlantic firm hires two partners from local boutique to open bases in Riyadh and Al-Khobar
Kirkland expands in Saudi Arabia with funds hire from Morgan Lewis
Nabil Abou-Charaf joins as a partner in Riyadh after almost six years with Morgan Lewis in the UAE
King & Spalding merges with Saudi firm
Tie-up with Al Fahad & Partners adds 17-fee earners to US firm’s nine-lawyer Riyadh team
Pillsbury to launch in Riyadh through link up with one of its former lawyers
Office to give top 70 US firm first physical base in Middle East
Latham hires highly rated M&A partner from Saudi independent firm
Arrival of Leen Zaza comes amid heightened interest by international firms in Saudi Arabia’s legal market
Saudi Aramco hires former Haleon legal chief as deputy GC
Bjarne Philip Tellmann joins the world’s largest oil producer, where he will oversee global compliance