Key partner hire at DLA Piper

The firm has announced the appointment of a sixth partner, Ramsey Jurdi, to its Litigation, Arbitration & Investigations team in the Middle East.

Jurdi is an international disputes, regulatory and trade compliance lawyer with substantial experience in the region. He has particular experience advising US and international companies on compliance with respect to economic sanctions and US export controls, defending white-collar criminal inquiries and conducting special investigations. He also has strong international arbitration experience, regularly appearing in proceedings under the rules of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC), in addition to experience in Saudi Arabia, where he has advised on construction disputes for several mega-projects, investigations, and arbitration.

Jurdi, a US-qualified lawyer, joins the firm most recently from Chadbourne & Parke in Dubai, where he had been since 2008. He is also the four-term elected President of the American Business Council of Dubai & the Northern Emirates, a chapter of the US Chamber of Commerce, and is recognised for his work promoting US-UAE trade and investment.

Jurdi ‘s appointment coincides with the return of partner, Daniel Jude, to the team; the addition of senior legal consultants, Peter Anagnostou and Daniel Xu; and the promotion of Andre Saade and Sam Stevens to legal director and senior legal consultant respectively, taking the regional disputes practice to over 30 lawyers, including six partners. Jude, who has extensive experience in contentious construction and engineering matters in the region, returns to the Middle East after one year with the firm in the UK.