Morgan Lewis Expands Gulf Footprint With Opening Of Riyadh Office
Morgan Lewis strengthens Middle East presence with new Riyadh office, led by Dr. Sultan Almasoud and top partners.
Morgan Lewis Expands Gulf Footprint with Opening of Riyadh Office
The global law firm Morgan Lewis has strengthened its Middle East presence with the opening of a new office in Riyadh, reflecting its commitment to an on-the-ground presence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and enhancing its delivery of integrated, full-service counsel aligned with the region’s evolving legal and business landscape.
The Riyadh office launches with a team of six top-tier practitioners. Market-leading M&A and capital markets lawyers Dr. Sultan Almasoud, former co-managing partner of A&O Shearman in Saudi Arabia, and Sanjarbek Abdukhalilov, a legacy Shearman & Sterling corporate partner and consultant at A&O Shearman’s PeerPoint, join as partners. Experienced Saudi dispute resolution lawyer Saeed Alqahtani has also joined as of counsel from Al Tamimi & Company. The team is further strengthened by Sourabh Bhattacharya (Finance Partner) and Sara K. Aranjo, leader of the firm’s dispute resolution and international arbitration practice across the Middle East and Africa regions, supported by Ayman A. Khaleq (Asset Management Partner), who co-leads the firm’s Middle East Practice. Dr. Sultan Almasoud will serve as Managing Partner of the Riyadh office and lead the Saudi practice.
Firm Chair Jami McKeon said,
"Saudi Arabia has long been a vital part of our firm’s global practice, and our physical presence in Riyadh reflects a deepened investment in the country, its people, and its future. This is not a new market for us—it’s a continuation of decades of trusted client relationships. With Dr. Sultan, Sanjarbek, and Saeed joining our established regional team, we’re fortifying our commitment by supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives and delivering the very best full-service counsel to clients in the Kingdom and beyond."
Firm Managing Partner Steven Wall said,
"Our Riyadh office represents a significant extension of our firm’s longstanding commitment in Saudi Arabia and the broader region. Our opening in Riyadh will uplift existing relationships and forge new ones—further honing our ability to tactically deliver solutions that are locally attuned and globally informed. With deep market insight and the full breadth of our international platform, our team is equipped to help clients confront and overcome complexity and be dexterous amid evolutions in the Kingdom’s legal, regulatory, cultural, and commercial landscape."
With more than four decades advising clients in the Middle East and over a decade of an established regional footprint, Morgan Lewis now has offices in three major Gulf hubs: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh. Leveraging its global platform, the Riyadh office will support institutional investors—including sovereign wealth funds, state-owned entities, asset managers, family offices, and multinational corporations—on cross-border transactions, financings, and disputes, while deepening relationships with Saudi-based clients across fast-evolving sectors such as digital infrastructure, energy, funds, aviation, and emerging technologies including AI. The firm’s investment aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 legal and regulatory reforms, facilitating foreign investment, innovation, and long-term economic growth.
Morgan Lewis is an American international law firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Known by its full name, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, it is one of the largest law firms in the world, with approximately 2,200 legal professionals across more than 30 offices in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
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