Kirkland & Ellis Strengthens Middle East Presence with New Riyadh Office

Kirkland & Ellis Strengthens Middle East Presence with New Riyadh Office

Global law firm Kirkland & Ellis has expanded in the Middle East with opening of a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This strategic move will provide enhanced support to Kirkland's growing roster of clients in Saudi Arabia and the broader region.

Kirkland & Ellis, with 3,500 lawyers across the US, UK, Europe, and Asia, sees its new Riyadh office as a strategic step, recognising Saudi Arabia's significance in the global business landscape. The Kingdom's remarkable economic growth and rapid modernisation offer immense potential for Kirkland's clients.

“Saudi Arabia is an important market requiring sophisticated legal services for international business. At the same time, the Kingdom is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and a rapidly modernizing country that is becoming increasingly significant for Kirkland’s client base,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee.

“Our Riyadh office will help us to serve our many clients with operations in and interests across Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East,” Ballis added.

Kirkland & Ellis has received a Foreign Law License from the Saudi Ministry of Justice, allowing it to operate directly in Saudi Arabia following reforms to the country's legal licensing model.

Kirkland's new Riyadh office and Regional Headquarters is led by corporate partner Kamran Bajwa, who has over 20 years of experience handling complex international legal matters in the Middle East and emerging markets. Two of the leading Saudi lawyers in the market and women in the Saudi legal profession, Noor Al-Fawzan and Manal Al-Musharaf, have joined Kirkland as partners for the Riyadh launch.

“The creative, business-minded approaches for which Kirkland lawyers are known are critical for the complex transactions our clients undertake in Saudi Arabia, which is one of the most dynamic and fast-paced markets in the world. I am excited for the opportunity to build the Riyadh office and regional headquarters, expand Kirkland’s reach, and get to work on the ground for our clients in this region,” Bajwa stated while adding that Riyadh is an ideal location to serve the diverse interests and needs of the firm’s clients.

Bajwa brings a wealth of expertise in the Middle East, having spent eight years residing in both the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. Furthermore, he held the position of Chief Legal Officer at the foremost investment bank in the MENA region. Since 2011, he has been a partner at Kirkland, where he has been at the helm of its Middle East practice.

Noor Al-Fawzan, a partner in Latham & Watkins' Riyadh office, has joined Kirkland & Ellis. She focuses on M&A, joint ventures, and general corporate matters with a Saudi nexus. Previously, she was legal counsel at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), an arm of the World Bank Group. She holds an LL.M. from Duke University School of Law and an LL.B. from Prince Sultan University and was ranked as a "Next Generation Partner" by Legal 500 Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Manal Al-Musharaf, formerly a local partner at White & Case in Riyadh, has joined Kirkland & Ellis. She advises public and private issuers and investment banks on a broad range of capital markets transactions, including equity offerings (IPOs and secondary offerings) and ongoing corporate governance and reporting obligations. She previously served as Legal Director of the Public Investment Fund Projects/NEOM Company in Riyadh. She holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School and an LL.B. from Prince Sultan University.

Both Noor Al-Fawzan and Manal Al-Musharaf are qualified to practice law in Saudi Arabia and New York.

With the opening of its Riyadh office, Kirkland & Ellis now has 20 offices around the world. The firm is internationally recognised for excellence and is ranked number one on Law360's Pulse Prestige Leaders report of the top 100 law firms by prominence and distinction. In 2022, Kirkland ranked number one globally for publicly announced mergers and acquisitions by deal count (796 deals), according to Bloomberg's Global M&A Legal League Tables. It also ranked number one by value and number of investment funds, according to Private Equity International. Additionally, Kirkland was ranked first for having the largest litigation and restructuring practices in the world, according to The Lawyer's Global Litigation Top 50 survey and Global Restructuring Review, respectively.