Latham & Watkins expands ME practice

Latham & Watkins LLP announced that 20 associates have been elected to the partnership and 24 associates have been promoted to the role of counsel, effective January 1, 2014. The group includes lawyers from across a number of transactional, litigation and regulatory practices who represent clients in a range of industry sectors. The lawyers elected to the partnership in Dubai are HARJASKARAN RAI and NOMAAN A. RAJA. 

RAI is a member of the Finance Department. He has experience advising clients in banking, project and asset finance, Islamic financing including sukuk issuances and securitisations, and general corporate matters relating to Saudi Arabia. He advises financial institutions, corporations and sponsors in the energy, mining and metals and communication industry sectors. He received his LPC from the BPP Law School in 2003. 

RAJA is a member of the Corporate Department. His practice focuses on debt and equity capital markets transactions, including high-yield bond offerings, sukuk offerings, EMTN and GMTN programs and initial public offerings. His practice also encompasses corporate restructurings, M&A matters, investments, joint ventures and other corporate transactions. He received his LLB from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1996 and an LLM from New York University in 2005. 

In addition, the new counsel in the Riyadh office is OMAR ELSAYED, a member of the Corporate Department. His practice focuses on M&A and capital markets transactions, inbound and outbound investments and project development and joint ventures. Elsayed previously worked as legal counsel for SETE Technical Services, a contracting arm of the Latsis Group in the Middle East and Africa, operating from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Elsayed received his LLB from Medina University Saudi Arabia in 1999 and his LLM from the University of Manchester in 2001.