Law firm highlights – May 2023

• Habib Al Mulla and Partners and GLA & Company announced the formation of a strategic association between the two firms. This will enable the two firms to extend their respective geographical footprints and service offerings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The combination of the two firms will create a powerhouse of legal services and expertise, strengthening both firms’ regional presence and providing clients with access to in-depth and comprehensive legal advice. The association between GLA & Company and Habib Al Mulla and Partners will provide clients with the highest quality of legal advice and representation, while also allowing both firms to expand their reach and capabilities in the Middle East. The two firms are confident that, together, they can meet the needs of clients in the region and beyond. Habib Al Mulla and Partners has established an international reputation for providing outstanding legal services to companies and individuals conducting business in the United Arab Emirates. GLA & Company is a regional MENA based law firm with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Kuwait, Cairo and Beirut. The purpose of the association between the two respective law firms makes the group one of the largest regional players in the MENA market. Leveraging Dr. Habib’s litigation practice in the UAE, which is considered the strongest in that jurisdiction, along with the corporate and commercial reach of GLA in all the main jurisdictions in the MENA is truly a game-changer in the regional legal market. The Association between Habib Al Mulla & Partners and GLA & Company is effective immediately.

• Herbert Smith Freehills has launched in Riyadh after it was one of the first international law firms granted a licence to establish its office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The office will initially focus primarily on energy, infrastructure, M&A, projects and project & structured finance. Two partners, Alexander Currie and Phil Hanson, will join partner Joza AlRasheed, who is the managing partner of the Riyadh office. They will work closely with the firm’s regional team of eight partners and 30 associates to deliver market-leading advice and legal support to the firm’s Saudi and international clients operating in the Saudi market. Joza AlRasheed, managing partner of the firm’s Riyadh office, commented, “Saudi Arabia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and our Riyadh office provides us with the ideal platform to continue to service key Saudi, regional and international clients. We look forward to delivering through our Riyadh offering the top-quality legal services that our existing and future clients require in the Kingdom. I look forward to working closely with Alexander, Phil, the Riyadh team and our Middle East and international practices to provide bespoke support to our clients on their significant and innovative mandates both locally and internationally.” Stuart Paterson, the firm’s managing partner of the Middle East region, commented, “The opening of our Riyadh office is a milestone for our Middle East practice and the firm. It charts a new chapter in the exceptional growth of our leading practices across EMEA. Our Middle East strategy is focused on investing in the firm’s energy, infrastructure and natural resources offering. This includes a commitment to enhance our Corporate and Project Finance capabilities to complement our thriving Projects practice. We look forward to expanding the Riyadh team and continuing to build our presence in the region.”
• Clara,the legal operating system that empowers tech company founders to digitally form, manage and scale their startups, has announced a new partnership with Mintz, a prominent US law firm. More than 4,000 startups around the world have created Clara accounts and the company’s partnership with Mintz marks its entry into the U.S. market. To date, Clara’s customers have raised more than USD1 billion in venture capital. Under the terms of the partnership, Clara has built workflows to allow founders to digitally form Delaware companies on its platform, and create the documents they typically need to prepare for their first fundraise, or enter into venture builder or accelerator programs (such as Techstars, 500 Global or Antler). These workflows are underpinned by Mintz’s best-practice templates and industry leading guidance. Under the deal, Mintz clients receive discounts for Clara’s subscription-based services and Clara customers who engage Mintz as counsel are granted startup rate discounts by Mintz’s Emerging Companies team.