King & Spalding's Dubai office is home to more than 15 lawyers, all of whom have been handling client matters in the region for a number of years. Licensed by the Dubai International Finance Centre, the team offers extensive experience in Islamic finance, energy, real estate, private equity and international arbitration in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
In the 2008 edition of the Chambers Global guide, King & Spalding was consistently ranked among the top law firms practicing in the Middle East. The firm received high marks for practices in the following areas:
- Middle East Corporate/ Commercial
- Middle East Islamic Finance
- Saudi Arabia Corporate/ Commercial
- U.A.E. Banking & Finance
- U.A.E. Corporate/ Commercial practices
- Projects & Energy
In addition, Jawad Ali, Isam Salah, Nabil Issa and Philip Weems were all recognized as leading practitioners in their fields.
In addition to its office in Dubai, King & Spalding has established an affiliation with a Saudi Arabian lawyer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, allowing the firm to more easily handle work for Saudi clients and Saudi-related transactions.
For more than 20 years, King & Spalding lawyers have been handling client matters in the Arabian Gulf region, which includes the highest concentration of the firm's clients outside the United States.
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 to develop finance and investment structures that comply with Islamic Shari'ah principles.
The firm's energy practitioners also have extensive experience in the Middle East, having handled numerous projects in the region, and the firm's arbitration and capital markets practices are well positioned to assist clients in the region, due to the presence of a regional arbitration venue and the Dubai International Financial Exchange in the Dubai International Finance Centre.
