Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP officially launches in the UAE

May 2018

Richard Davies will continue in his role as country managing partner for the UAE. The launch is a return to the region for Bryan Cave, who previously had offices in KSA, Kuwait and Dubai.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP has officially launched on May 1, 2018 in the UAE. The Partnerships of both Bryan Cave LLP and Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP overwhelmingly approved the combination on Feb. 26, and the firm has now received regulatory to operate in the country. The new global, fully integrated law firm has 32 offices in 11 countries and a platform of 1,600 lawyers, placing it among the largest in the world and enabling it to significantly enhance the scope of services provided to its clients. The new firm is led by Co-chairs Lisa Mayhew and Therese Pritchard.

Clients of the combined firm will have access to broader and deeper legal services across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including in many of the world’s leading markets. The new firm offers clients a range of internationally integrated capabilities, including one of the most active global M&A practices, leading real estate practices, international financial services practices, and international litigation and corporate risk practices. It’s team in the UAE includes a full service real estate, hospitality and construction practice, with capabilities in construction and commercial disputes, as well as corporate and commercial matters from its Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices. The latter is also a hub for the Firm’s growing Africa practice.

The firm will act for 53 of the world’s top 100 companies and is poised to provide innovative services and products to clients through a combination of technology and experience. Combined, this experience ranges from providing world-class legal advice to delivering operational advice and support to in-house legal teams, with services that will continue to be optimised using process, data analytics and technology. During the first six months, the firm will combine and grow the legacy BCXponent and Streamline brands, which were designed by each of the firms to integrate legal operations into its advisory framework, and it will grow legacy technology offerings, such as the proprietary technology platform CrossLITE. The new firm also will launch new products throughout 2018, including new automated contract negotiation software and a unique technology-driven case analysis product, to help clients mitigate litigation risk. The combined firm additionally will show a demonstrable commitment to fostering innovative ideas among employees on new legal technology, via its TechX initiative and Business Academy, to empower its teams to continuously improve services.

“Creating Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has been a fantastic journey for us all,” said Lisa Mayhew, co-chair of the firm and managing partner of legacy BLP. “Our firms have come together with a commitment to serve our clients as one team.”

“Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner is well positioned to provide global strategic counsel to our clients across industries and geographies,” said Therese Pritchard, co-chair of the firm and legacy chair of Bryan Cave.

“Our integrated structure is designed to institutionalise and reward collaboration across our global platform. Our lawyers are already creating cross border client and industry teams, and in so doing, they are discovering new synergies that will enable broader efficiencies for our clients.”

Richard Davies will continue in his role as country managing partner for the UAE. The launch is a return to the region for Bryan Cave, who previously had offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Dubai.

Integration plans among practice groups and administrative functions have been ongoing for several months. The firm will be organised under four global departments: (i) Corporate, (ii) Finance, (iii) Litigation and Corporate Risk, and (iv) Real Estate led by the following:

Corporate

Global Departmental managing partner – Peter Van Cleve, St. Louis

Deputy Departmental managing partner – Jonathan Morris, London

Finance

Global Departmental managing partner – Adam Dann, London

Deputy Departmental managing partner – Laurence Frazen, Kansas City

Litigation and Corporate Risk

Global Departmental managing partner – Christine Cesare, New York

Deputy Departmental managing partner – Nathan Willmott, London

Real Estate

Global Departmental managing partner – Chris de Pury, London

Deputy Departmental managing partner – Andrew Auerbach, New York