Morgan Lewis Expands Middle East Footprint With Launch Of Riyadh Office

Morgan Lewis Expands Middle East Footprint with Launch of Riyadh Office

The global law firm, Morgan Lewis, has strengthened its presence in the Middle East with the launch of a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This expansion reinforces the firm’s commitment to an on-the-ground presence in the Kingdom and enhances its delivery of integrated, full-service counsel aligned with the region’s evolving legal and business needs. The Riyadh office opens with a full team of six top-tier practitioners, bringing deep local expertise and international experience to the firm’s clients.

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.”

The Riyadh office team includes 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, who join as partners. Seasoned Saudi dispute resolution lawyer Saeed Alqahtani has also recently joined as of counsel from Al Tamimi & Company.

The team further includes preeminent Morgan Lewis lawyers such as Saudi veteran practitioners Sara K. Aranjo, leader of the firm’s dispute resolution and international arbitration practice across the Middle East and Africa regions, and Ayman A. Khaleq, co-leader of the firm’s Middle East Practice, as well as finance partner Sourabh Bhattacharya. Dr. Sultan Almasoud will serve as Managing Partner of the Riyadh office and lead the Saudi practice.

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 is one of the few global firms with offices in all three major Gulf hubs: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and now Riyadh.

The Riyadh office will strengthen and complement the firm’s advice to institutional investors—including sovereign wealth funds, state-owned entities, asset managers, family offices, and multinational corporations—on cross-border transactions, financings, and disputes.

The firm will also deepen relationships with Saudi-based clients across fast-evolving sectors including digital infrastructure, energy, funds, aviation, and emerging technologies such as AI. Morgan Lewis’s continued investment aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 legal and regulatory reforms, accelerating foreign investment, innovation, and long-term economic growth.

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