Clifford Chance further develops leading presence in the united arab emirates
29.07.2008Company: Clifford Chance Prague LLP, organizační složka
Clifford Chance is to open its new office in Abu Dhabi on 03 August 2008. Regulatory approval for the proposal, first announced in January this year, was received last month and the new office will add significant further capability to the firm's long-established and highly successful operation in the Middle East.
Graham Lovett, Managing Partner for the Gulf region, will be responsible for the office with banking and finance partner Richard Ernest leading an initial team of ten lawyers on the ground in Abu Dhabi. Richard joined the firm 11 years ago and has worked in the firm's London, Moscow and Frankfurt offices. Peter Deegan, a partner in Real Estate currently based in the firm's Warsaw office, will relocate to Abu Dhabi and Capital Markets partner Chris Walsh will be seconded from London to the office.
The office will focus on finance, capital markets, projects, corporate, real estate and litigation. It is expected that the Abu Dhabi office will grow to 20 - 30 lawyers in the next 2 - 3 years as a reflection of growing demand from clients for high quality legal expertise in the nation's capital. in the firm's Dubai office has grown from 26 to 70.
Clifford Chance has had a presence in the United Arab Emirates for 33 years and is one of the longest established international law firms in the country. Since 2004 the number of lawyers
Clifford Chance Gulf managing partner Graham Lovett said, "The new office in Abu Dhabi represents a great opportunity for the firm in one of the fastest growing and most dynamic countries in the region. The pace of development and change there has created a new legal landscape and we need to have a presence on the ground to develop and strengthen our key client relationships. We intend to build on our long-term success in Dubai, both through this expansion and our strengthening relationship with Al-Jadaan & Partners in Riyadh, to consolidate our position as the leading international law firm in the region."
