Global law firm Allen & Overy (A&O) has received a license to operate in Saudi Arabia from the Saudi Ministry of Justice and, as a result, has opened an office in Riyadh. In the Middle East, A&O also has offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE.
The move, announced in a March 25 media release, comes ahead of the law firm's merger with Shearman & Sterling to become A&O Shearman, which is on track for May 1 this year. The merger was approved in October 2023 and will create a global law firm giant with over $3.5 billion in revenue
A&O said the office in Riyadh will strengthen and expand existing relationships with Saudi Arabian clients, as well as support international clients looking to invest in the region.
A&O’s Saudi team includes partners Hosam Ibn Ghaith and Haris Meyer Hanif. Following the completion of the merger, they will be joined by Dr. Sultan Almasoud, who has led Shearman in Saudi Arabia for nearly a decade. Partner Mohsin Suleman is also part of the team.
Hosam Ibn Ghaih joined A&O from Hassana Investment Company, the investment manager of Saudi Arabia’s social security and pension fund GOSI (General Organisation for Social Insurance) where he spent six years as general counsel. Prior to that, he practised at Saudi law firms operating at the time in cooperation with A&O. He has spent almost 15 years advising on complex, high-value transactions representing Saudi and multinational companies, including Saudi corporate law, capital markets transactions and Islamic finance across sectors including financial institutions, private capital and energy.
Haris Meyer Hanif rejoined A&O earlier this year from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer where he was head of finance in MENA for over 11 years. His specialism is in complex restructuring and insolvency matters, leveraged and acquisition financings and private capital transactions across the Middle East and Africa. He has acted on restructurings and financings in the region and, alongside Dubai-based partner Adam Banks, will establish a senior bench of restructuring and capital solutions specialists covering the region.
Khalid Garousha, regional managing partner for the Middle East and Turkey and interim global managing partner at A&O, said in the media release: “We are thrilled to announce the opening of our office in Riyadh as we look forward to supporting [Saudi Arabia] further on its ambitious diversification programme as part of Vision 2030.”
Garousha added: “A&O has had a strong presence in the Middle East since 1978, including a long history of advising clients in the Kingdom, and as A&O Shearman we look forward to continuing to combine the best of global and local to offer our domestic and international clients a full-service offering."
