Monday, Dec 08, 2008
DUBAI (Zawya Dow Jones)--United Arab Emirates law firm Al Tamimi & Co. said Monday it has opened its first office in Saudi Arabia.
The new office, which is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh, is headed by banking and finance partner Nicholas Diacos and corporate and commercial partner Mohammad Arif Saeed.
"The office...focuses on corporate and commercial, banking, project finance, infrastructure and corporate finance, IP, employment, litigation and property work," the company said in an emailed statement.
The office already has 17 staff including two partners, eight lawyers and one paralegal, Al Tamimi said. The firm added that it is also already undertaking work on "one of the first mortgage lending joint ventures arising from the new Saudi mortgage laws, the first ever professional services outsourcing agreement with the Saudi government and a 265 million Saudi riyals ($70.7 million) fully Shariah compliant loan facility under Saudi law."
The new addition puts the firm's total number of offices across the Middle East at eight offices. The firm's other offices are located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Qatar, Baghdad and Jordan.
Al Tamimi has 24 partners and over 150 lawyers in total. It is the only foreign law firm licensed to practice in Saudi Arabia in its own name without a local association.
-By Tahani Karrar, Dow Jones Newswires; +9714 364 4965; Tahani.Karrar@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2007 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
08-12-08 1021GMT
