Law firm highlights – April 2015

·        A team from global business law firm DLA Piper delivered a successful two-day workshop last month in Beirut, Lebanon, on the topics of legal drafting and negotiations skills for Arab law students and trainees, in collaboration with the Beirut Bar Association. Eight lawyers across offices of the firm's Middle East network delivered the course on "Legal Drafting and Negotiations Skills", which focused on how to draft and negotiate corporate and financial transaction documents. Over 90 people attended the sessions which took place at the Beirut Bar Association. DLA Piper has delivered these workshops for three consecutive years in Lebanon.

·        Herbert Smith Freehills hosted Women in Business Networking Breakfast on ‘The Power of Diversity’ on March 11, 2015 at Boca in DIFC. Chiara Marcati and Rana Hamadeh of McKinseny Middle East led the discussion based on the findings of the report ‘GCC Women in Leadership – from the first to the norm’. The seminar stressed on the importance of incorporating diversity into organisations, changing the mindset and how to get rid of the mental bias that still exists in the business community with regard to working women. The seminar was a fun opportunity for women to network and share their views with two of the leading gender quality experts in the Middle East.

·        Dentons was awarded the Pan-Middle East Best Law Firm of the Year by EMEA Finance, whose Middle East Banking Awards winners for 2014 were announced recently. This is the fifth occasion on which Dentons has won this prestigious industry award in the past six years.The Middle East Banking Awards, hosted by leading financial magazine EMEA Finance, recognise the achievements of industry players including law firms; commercial, investment and Islamic banks; asset managers and brokers in countries across the Middle East. EMEA Finance highlighted that Dentons' roles in advising the Government of Sharjah on its inaugural Sukuk and the National Bank of Oman on the establishment of USD600 million EMTN programme and debut issue were both notable transactions.

·        Clyde & Co has further formalised its existing offering in Riyadh with the opening of its fully integrated office. The newly-formed structure will be headed by Abdulaziz Al-Bosaily whose law office has been closely associated with Clyde & Co for more than six years. Ben Cowling, a specialist construction partner of Clyde & Co will continue to be based in Riyadh and assist with the management of the office. The firm is only the second international law firm to gain regulatory approval to open a fully integrated office in the Kingdom.

·        Pinsent Masons has announced plans to launch in Australia in 2015. The firm intends to launch an infrastructure sector-focused practice in Melbourne and Sydney later this year. The practice will be headed by former Maddocks CEO David Rennick, who led a strategic review of the firm's options in relation to market entry in Australia. Pinsent Masons’ five-partner Australian practice will initially focus on the firm's existing international client base of providers and major funders of infrastructure projects particularly those situated in Asia. The practice will also be well-placed to advise clients on in-bound and domestic work in Australia, and on outbound work into Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe. The firm's decision to open in Australia comes following a period of significant international expansion by Pinsent Masons.

·        Norton Rose Fulbright has been named Best Performing Legal Brand for a third consecutive year at the Managing Partners' Forum (MPF) Awards for Management Excellence 2015. Norton Rose Fulbright also won Best Collaboration across the Management Team at the awards. The annual awards consider the achievements of management teams across the professional services sector.

·        Allen & Overyhas been recognised as the “Law Firm of the Year” for the fourth consecutive year at the annual Islamic Finance News Awards ceremony held in Dubai last month. The awarding body, Islamic Finance News, cited that “Allen & Overy held its ground to retain the top spot by a comfortable margin, and the breadth of expertise and global stretch of the firm as well as its constant focus on new horizons led to its achievement for the fourth year in a row.” Allen & Overy received a record-breaking 17 awards, beating the previous record of 15 awards received by the firm last year, including “Social Impact Deal of the Year” and “Regulatory Capital Deal of the Year” which were introduced for the first time this year.