RIYADH / DUBAI - Allen & Overy has strengthened its position in Saudi Arabia with the announcement that it has integrated the international transactional practice of its associate firm Abdulaziz Al Gasim Law Firm (AAG) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by hiring Zeyad Khoshaim, a leading Saudi Arabian lawyer and partner in AAG. Zeyad will join Allen & Overy as its first Saudi Arabian partner and continue to be based in the Riyadh office of AAG.
Zeyad is U.S. qualified and admitted to the New York bar and also admitted in Saudi Arabia. Bilingual in Arabic and English, he has significant experience in corporate, transactional, energy projects, and capital markets work including IPOs, private placements and debt issues.
Abdulaziz Al Gasim said: "This is a very positive move for all concerned, affirming and fostering the strong and successful association that we have developed with Allen & Overy in recent years. The international platform Allen & Overy offers plays to Zeyad's strengths and we are looking forward to continuing to work with him as we take the association between our two firms to the next level and continuously develop our service offerings for our local and international clients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Allen & Overy's Riyadh corporate partner Johannes Bruski said: "Both our domestic clients in Saudi Arabia and our international clients increasingly and quite rightly expect to work with first-class Saudi Arabian lawyers. Zeyad is a versatile lawyer with a unique combination of Saudi law expertise, western transactional experience and client relationship skills. With an increasing volume of work transacted in Arabic, Zeyad is therefore extremely well positioned in this respect and we are of course more than delighted that he has joined us."
Simon Roderick, Regional Managing Partner for Allen & Overy in the Middle East said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a strategically important market for us both in its own right and globally. We have been active in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for over 30 years with a physical presence in Riyadh through our association with local firm Abdulaziz Al Gasim for over two years. I am very pleased that Zeyad is joining us in a move that reflects our ongoing commitment to our Saudi Arabian client base, our international clients investing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and our continued investment in quality lawyers in our local markets in the Middle East."
For further information, please contact Matthew Harries (matthew.harries@allenovery.com), on 009714 426 7123.
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Notes for Editors:
1. Allen & Overy is an international legal practice with approximately 5,000 staff, including some 470 partners, working in 36 major centres worldwide.
2. In this press release 'Allen & Overy' means Allen & Overy LLP and/or its affiliated undertakings.
3. The term 'partner' is used to refer to a member of Allen & Overy LLP or to an employee or consultant with equivalent standing and qualifications or to an individual with equivalent status in one of Allen & Overy LLP's affiliated undertakings.
© Press Release 2010
