Latham plans to open three offices in Gulf Region expansion
United Arab Emirates /Qatar, February 17, 2008 ...Latham & Watkins LLP1 is pleased to announce its plans to open three offices in the Middle East. Latham's new offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and Doha, Qatar, are expected to open towards the end of the first quarter 2008 and will significantly bolster its practice in the Gulf Region. Corporate partner Rindala Beydoun will serve as the Office Managing Partner for the three offices.
Latham & Watkins' Middle East practice will focus on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, project development and finance, structured finance, leveraged finance and capital markets. Beydoun is a highly regarded corporate partner with broad experience across a number of industries. Beydoun has extensive experience advising on M&A and private equity deals and real estate projects in the region. Beydoun joins Latham & Watkins from Vinson & Elkins LLP. A number of Latham & Watkins partners and associates will transfer to the region in a move which reinforces Latham's commitment to its Middle East expansion plans.
Robert M. Dell, Chairman and Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins, said: "The Gulf Region represents one of the most dynamic markets in the global economy and we are delighted to announce the opening of three offices in the region. While we have substantial experience advising companies and financial institutions operating in the Middle East, having a physical presence in the region is strategically very important for our continued global expansion. The region offers significant M&A and investment work opportunities around which we plan to build one of the premier transactional practices. This is an exciting development in the firm's global expansion."
Latham & Watkins has worked on a number of high profile deals in the Middle East region, including the groundbreaking Nakilat liquefied natural gas (LNG) ship financing in the State of Qatar. In what is the largest ship financing ever completed, Latham represented Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat Inc.) in connection with its US$7.3 billion project financing of more than 20 LNG vessels to transport LNG produced from Qatar's North Field, the world's largest non-associated gas field with approximately 15 percent of the world's total proven natural gas reserves, to established gas markets throughout the world. Latham has also advised TAQA, a global energy company listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market, on major North American acquisitions, including: the C$5 billion acquisition of PrimeWest Energy Trust, a publicly traded oil and gas royalty trust; the US$2 billion acquisition of Northrock Resources Ltd. from Pogo Producing Company; and the US$540 million acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources Canada Inc. from Pioneer Natural Resources Company. In addition, over the years, Latham has done extensive M&A work for the Qatar Investment Authority.
"We have deep experience representing clients on both their inbound and outbound investments in the region. The increase in cross-border and regional deal activity presents significant opportunities for our strengths in the twin areas of corporate and finance. Rindala's expertise and impressive connections throughout the region are great assets to our firm and Middle East growth plans. Having a partner of Rindala's stature within the region's deal community join Latham signals our commitment to building one of the leading practices in the Gulf," said William Voge, Global Chair of Latham & Watkins' Finance Department and Chair of the firm's Middle East Strategy Committee.
"I am delighted to join Latham & Watkins," said Rindala Beydoun. "Latham has an outstanding reputation in the region and a proven ability to successfully enter new markets. I am excited to be part of Latham's vision to build a significant Middle East practice as another strategically important hub in its global expansion."
Prior to Vinson & Elkins LLP, Beydoun held a senior in-house position at Mastercard International. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 1991 and Duke University Law School in 1994.
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About Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins is a global law firm with more than 2,100 attorneys in 25 offices, including Barcelona, Brussels, Chicago, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia, Orange County, Paris, Rome, San Diego, San Francisco, Shanghai, Silicon Valley, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information on Latham & Watkins, please visit the Web site at www.lw.com
Notes to Editor
1 Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with an affiliate in the United Kingdom and Italy, where the practice is conducted through an affiliated multinational partnership.
Contacts
For further information on Latham & Watkins, please contact
Pooja Keswani from Hill and Knowlton,
Dubai
+971 4 334 4930
Pooja.keswani@hillandknowlton.com
Robert M. Dell,
Chairman & Managing Partner,
+1.415.395.8050
Global Chair of Latham & Watkins' Finance Department and Chair of the firm's Middle East Strategy Committee, +1.212.906.1352
© Press Release 2008
