King & Spalding announces new leadership in Middle East offices
King & Spalding has announced that Jawad Ali will retire from the practice of law and step down as managing partner of the firm’s Middle East offices. The firm has named Nabil Issa the new managing partner for the Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh (affiliate) offices.
“Jawad’s vision and leadership were instrumental in the launch and success of the firm’s Middle East offices,” said Robert D. Hays, chairman of King & Spalding. “Jawad was one of the partners who opened the firm’s first international office in London in 2003, and since then he has been tirelessly working on building the firm’s international offices. The global reach and diversity of our Middle East practice and the brand recognition we have in the region would not have been possible without Jawad’s efforts on behalf of and commitment to our firm.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the firm the past 23 years,” said Ali. “Last year was one of the best years the Middle East practice has ever had which is a testament to the team and the partnership we have with our clients in the region. I am confident that Nabil has the entrepreneurial spirit, intellectual innovation and commitment to the firm that will carry our Middle East practice forward to the next level.”
Issa, who will take over as office managing partner effective today, focuses on Shari’ah-compliant funds, joint ventures, foreign investment, private equity, privatizations, venture capital, healthcare, and real estate industry transactions. He is particularly known for his development of innovative Shari-ah-compliant CMA fund and investment structures for real estate and private equity investments in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the wider GCC region.
King & Spalding’s Middle East offices, Dubai (2007), Riyadh (2007) and Abu Dhabi (2008), have represented clients in the region on innovative, first of its kind matters. In the past two years, the firm represented a leading contractor in Saudi Arabia on one of the largest restructurings under the new Saudi insolvency legislation (2021), advised a client creating the first unicorn in Saudi Arabia (March 2020) and advised on the first privatization transaction under the Vision 2030 Plan (January 2020). It also represents clients in dispute matters including a financial institution in an SCCA arbitration, a petrochemical company in a series of ICC arbitrations, and other high value litigation matters involving the aviation and real estate sectors (2021 and 2022).
“Jawad has been an amazing leader and mentor to me and many others in the firm,” said Issa. “He has truly shaped the firm and I am honored to follow his lead and continue helping advance our clients’ interests both in the Middle East and around the world.”
