Norton Rose Fulbright strengthens MEA energy offering with new partner appointment

Norton Rose Fulbright has strengthened its Middle East and Africa energy, infrastructure and natural resources offering with the appointment of Remy Lerner, who will join the firm’s Dubai office following a short transitional period in Paris.

Lerner has deep experience advising on complex, cross‑border transactions across the energy and natural resources sectors, with a particular focus on oil and gas, mining and infrastructure projects in Francophone Africa. He joins the firm after more than 20 years at Curtis, Mallet‑Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.

Lerner advises sovereigns, state‑owned entities, private equity sponsors, corporates and family offices on project development, M&A, corporate structuring and restructurings, as well as on cross‑border investments involving Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Africa. In parallel, he represents states and private investors in high‑stakes international arbitration and related litigation.

A key pillar of Lerner’s practice is his work in the Congo Basin and wider Africa, where he advises governments and investors on energy, natural resources and infrastructure projects. Building on this work, he has established relationships with investors in the Gulf – including the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar – supporting their expansion into Francophone Africa and facilitating cross‑border investment between resource‑holding States and international capital.

Lerner will work closely with Norton Rose Fulbright’s market‑leading energy, infrastructure and disputes teams, as well as its Francophone and Anglophone Africa practices, supporting clients across the full lifecycle of projects and investments.

Mohammed Paracha, the firm’s head of Middle East, commented, “Remy brings a rare combination of transactional and sovereign advisory experience in some of the world’s most complex and strategically important markets. His established relationships with investors across the Gulf, together with his long‑standing experience advising on projects in Africa, come at a time of sustained growth for our Middle East platform and align perfectly with our ambitions to continue building a leading energy, infrastructure and natural resources practice in the region. With strong ongoing activity across the Middle East, Remy’s arrival further strengthens our ability to support clients on high‑value, cross‑border projects and investments. We are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”

Lerner added, “Norton Rose Fulbright offers the scale, international reach and collaborative culture that I was looking for to take my practice to the next stage. The firm’s strength across energy, infrastructure, cross‑border transactions and arbitration, combined with its deep capabilities in both Francophone and Anglophone Africa, creates a compelling platform for my clients and for the continued development of my practice. I am very much looking forward to joining the team in Dubai.”

Madhavi Gosavi, EMEAPAC Head of Banking and Finance, said, “The continued growth of our banking and finance team in the Middle East reflects both the depth of client demand we are seeing and our long‑term commitment to the region. The addition of Remy further strengthens our capabilities across the full value chain, particularly in relation to cross‑border investment between the Middle East and Africa, where clients are pursuing increasingly sophisticated and strategic opportunities. This appointment builds on recent momentum in the region, including the arrival of new partners Amar Meher and Aditi Sanyal, and the relocation of Robin Springthorpe and Paul Mansouri to the Middle East, as we continue to invest in a market‑leading platform that brings together global sector strength with deep regional insight.”