Contact Information: Contact: Matt Hyams King & Spalding 212-827-4057
King & Spalding Opens Office in Abu Dhabi
| Source: King & Spalding
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwire - June 2, 2008) - King & Spalding, a leading
international law firm, announced today the establishment of an office in
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. With a total of 19
lawyers in its offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh, King & Spalding is
one of the largest and fastest growing U.S. firms in the Middle East.
King & Spalding said that it has received all regulatory approvals needed
to open a law office in Abu Dhabi.
Angus N. McFadden, a counsel in the firm's construction and projects
practice, will reside in Abu Dhabi. McFadden has significant experience
handling major construction matters in the region. The firm said it plans
to add at least one partner and several senior and other lawyers to the Abu
Dhabi office in the near future.
The firm characterized its expansion in Abu Dhabi as a further
demonstration of its commitment to growing its Middle East practice.
"Abu Dhabi represents our third office in the Middle East, our thirteenth
worldwide location and the eighth new office we opened since January 2007,"
said Robert D. Hays, Jr., chairman of King & Spalding. "Our lawyers have
been handling matters throughout the Middle East region for more than 20
years, and strong client demand for our legal services in this region is
increasing rapidly. We are confident the firm's strategic focus in Abu
Dhabi on Islamic finance, energy, private equity, real estate and
international arbitration will well serve the needs of our clients."
Philip R. Weems, managing partner of King & Spalding's offices in the
Middle East and head of the firm's energy practice, said, "Abu Dhabi's
importance to the region -- especially its impressive growth and plans to
achieve economic diversification -- made this the logical next step for the
firm. Having an office in the capital of the U.A.E. enhances our ability to
continue providing superior service to our clients in Abu Dhabi and
throughout the region. Our investment in an Abu Dhabi office is a
reflection of our current active practice in Abu Dhabi and requests by some
of our largest clients in the region."
This latest move follows the expansion of King & Spalding's Middle East
practice in April 2007 with the hiring of three senior lawyers in the
Middle East -- finance partner Michael Dunphy in its Riyadh office (The Law
Office of Mohammad Al-Ammar), and, in its Dubai office, mergers and
acquisitions counsel Elias R. Chedid and private equity and funds counsel
Jonathan Law. Among the clients for which King & Spalding has handled
matters in Abu Dhabi are Mubadala Development Company PJSC and GulfCap
Group Limited, which the firm represented in its US$446 million acquisition
of drilling service company Dalma Energy LLC in July 2007.
King & Spalding is a leader in the area of Islamic finance and pioneered
many Shari'ah-complaint financial products that are in wide use today. The
firm is also recognized worldwide for its oil and gas work -- especially in
the area of liquefied natural gas -- and has a strong practice base in
electric power, petrochemicals and renewable energy. Its corporate practice
group provides a complete range of services to global clients in multiple
jurisdictions. American Lawyer's Focus Europe magazine has ranked King &
Spalding's international arbitration practice as No. 2 in the world. In the
2008 Chambers Global guide, King & Spalding is ranked among the top law
firms in the Middle East. The firm received high marks from Chambers in the
areas of Middle East Corporate/Commercial, Middle East Islamic Finance,
Saudi Arabia Corporate/Commercial, U.A.E. Banking and Finance, U.A.E.
Corporate/Commercial and Middle East Projects and Energy.
About King & Spalding
King & Spalding is an international law firm with more than 800 lawyers in
Abu Dhabi, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dubai, Frankfurt, Houston, London,
New York, Riyadh (affiliated office), San Francisco, Silicon Valley and
Washington, D.C. The firm represents half of the Fortune 100 and in a
Corporate Counsel survey in September 2007 was among the top firms
representing Fortune 250 companies. For additional information, visit
www.kslaw.com.