4 October 2004

International law firm, Clyde & Co, has opened its doors in Abu Dhabi with the opening of its third office in the UAE. Clyde & Co already has its Middle East Regional Office in Dubai and an office in Dubai Media City.

Clyde & Co has an increasing amount of existing client work in Abu Dhabi which is currently serviced from the Dubai offices. This demand, coupled with the firm's strong desire and commitment to develop client business in Abu Dhabi, meant that it made sense to open a fully serviced office in the heart of the Capital. The office will provide easily accessible, top quality legal services, for which Clyde & Co is reputed in the region, to the Abu Dhabi business community and beyond.

Niall O'Toole, former managing partner of Denton Wilde Sapte's Abu Dhabi office, joined Clyde & Co in May as a corporate partner. He will lead the development of the office and build the Clyde & Co team. Niall has worked in Abu Dhabi since 1997 and is consistently rated as one of the leading corporate/M&A lawyers in the UAE. He has considerable experience of doing business in Abu Dhabi and provides a broad range of corporate and commercial advice to local and international companies operating in the Middle East. He has particular expertise in corporate/M&A, energy, aviation, defence and international transactions.

Niall is joined by commercial litigator Wayne Jones, who transfers to Abu Dhabi from Clyde & Co's office in Dubai. Wayne, has over 10 years experience in a number of jurisdictions, including England and the UAE where he has been based since 2001. Wayne specialises in general commercial litigation with a particular focus on insurance and reinsurance, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Commenting on joining Clyde & Co, Niall says:
"Clyde & Co's reputation in the region is very strong and it was clearly the only firm for me to move to. The new Abu Dhabi office allows me to continue to operate in an Emirate I know extremely well, whilst rising to the challenge of developing new clients and contacts. Opening an office here also gives Clyde & Co the opportunity to expand their extensive oil and energy client-base in a high-growth region and offer our strong capabilities in a key trading centre."

Michael Payton, Senior Partner of Clyde & Co says:
"We couldn't have picked a better person to develop the office. With his excellent contacts and local knowledge, our clients will truly benefit from his wide experience of the region and the issues facing clients operating in, and with, companies based in Abu Dhabi.

Niall's appointment and Wayne's move to Abu Dhabi, confirms our strength of reputation and presence in the Middle East and reflects the firm's continuing success in being able to employ the best lawyers.

Opening a new Abu Dhabi office is in line with the firm's overall business strategy to develop our presence in the region for our clients."

-Ends-

© Press Release 2005