DLA Piper’s partner promotions in the Middle East
Hughes & Ryder
DLA Piper has announced the promotion of Dubai-based lawyers, Richard Hughes and Jamie Ryder, to its partnership effective May 1, 2018.
Hughes is a corporate lawyer specialising in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate structuring. Having been in the region since 2012, Hughes’s experience spans the GCC and broader Middle East where he has led high value, multi-jurisdictional transactions across a variety of sectors including healthcare, technology and financial services.
Ryder specialises in Media, Sport and Entertainment law. He has a decade of experience in the region drafting and negotiating bespoke commercial agreements, including content acquisition agreements, multi-platform media exploitation agreements and sponsorship agreements for local and international clients. Ryder represents a number of the region’s leading broadcasters and media organisations in addition to international film studios and rights holders, major event hosting entities and converged media and telecommunications companies.
Hughes and Ryder are amongst 62 lawyers to be promoted by the firm across the globe. Their appointment takes the total number of partners in the Middle East to 26, demonstrating DLA Piper’s substantial growth and ongoing investment in the region. Over the course of 2017, the firm announced six new partner appointments in the Middle East across Corporate, Finance and Projects, Litigation and Regulatory and Tax. Together, with the new appointments, this represents a 45 per cent increase in partner headcount in two years.
Regional managing partner, Peter Somekh, said, “Richard and Jamie are both talented lawyers in their respective fields. They consistently deliver the high quality of legal advice and first-class service to our clients for which DLA Piper is known and I am delighted to welcome them to our partnership.”
He continued, “Their promotion is particularly pleasing as it is testament to our ability to develop the future generation of lawyers from within the region. Both Richard and Jamie qualified with DLA Piper and have spent a substantial part of their career with the firm in the Middle East. I look forward to their continued contribution and leadership.”
