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King & Spalding to Establish Middle East Presence
Firm's Planned Middle East Presence Part of Continuing International Expansion to Serve Clients' Needs in Key Business Regions of the World
| Source: King & Spalding
ATLANTA, GA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 14, 2006 -- Subject to partnership approval next month,
King & Spalding intends to establish an office in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates, to respond to growing client demand in the areas of Islamic
finance, energy, real estate, private equity and international arbitration
in the Middle East and North Africa. Details are being finalized.
Robert D. Hays, chairman of King & Spalding, said, "Many of our lawyers
have been handling client matters in the Arabian Gulf region for over 20
years, and with the explosive growth in investment within the region and
the vibrant regional business hub that has developed there, we believe the
timing is right for King & Spalding to have a significant presence in the
region. In addition, the firm's Middle East office will provide a gateway
to other rapidly expanding business regions of the world, in particular
India and the Far East."
The highest concentration of King & Spalding's clients outside the United
States is in the Arabian Gulf, and the level of work for those clients has
grown dramatically over the past decade. The firm was named the top
Islamic finance legal advisor by Euromoney in 2004, largely based on the
pioneering Islamic finance, private equity and real estate work the firm
has done for those clients in the United States and Europe. Many of those
same clients are now calling on the firm to provide its expertise on
similar transactions within the Middle East. The firm's energy practice
also has extensive experience in the Middle East, handling numerous
projects in the region, and is poised to enhance its ability to serve
clients based in and with interests in the Middle East. The firm's
arbitration and capital markets practices also stand to benefit greatly
from the firm's presence in the Middle East, due to the presence of a
regional arbitration venue and the Dubai International Financial Exchange
in the DIFC.
The plan calls for Partner Philip Weems, the leader of King & Spalding's
energy practice, to lead the effort in Dubai. Weems has extensive
experience working in the Middle East and lived in Asia for more than 10
years. He plans to relocate from the firm's Houston office. Jawad Ali, a
partner in the firm's Islamic finance and investment practice, would also
relocate to Dubai. Ali, currently resident in the firm's London office,
has lived and practiced in the Gulf region and has an active practice
currently focusing on Middle Eastern clients. Isam Salah, the head of the
firm's Islamic finance and investment practice, will be splitting his time
between the firm's offices in New York and Dubai.
About King & Spalding
King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in
Atlanta, Houston, London, New York and Washington, D.C. The firm represents
half of the Fortune 100, and in a Corporate Counsel survey in August 2006
was ranked one of the top ten firms representing Fortune 250 companies
overall. For additional information, visit http://www.kslaw.com.