Hogan Lovells' ME group head joins King & Spalding, New York

Hogan Lovells' ME group head joins King & Spalding, New York

As part of the launch of the Middle East practice group of Hogan Lovells in 2020, a leading arbitration specialist was involved

Hogan Lovells' Middle East practice group head has joined New York-based King & Spalding as disputes partner.

In addition to her international dispute resolution experience at Hogan Lovells in New York, Samaa Haridi joins the firm in Atlanta after almost seven years with the transatlantic firm. Her efforts culminated in the establishment of the Middle East Practice Group by the firm's CEO, Miguel Zaldivar, in 2020 as part of a broader shakeup of the firm's organizational structure and leadership.

Among other ventures, Haridi has worked at Weil Gotshal & Manges, Crowell & Moring and joined Hogan Lovells in 2015. He serves as Vice President of the International Court of Arbitration and Co-Chair of the International Court of Arbitration's arbitration committee.

A former international commercial and investment arbitrator with more than two decades of experience, she will focus on disputes involving Middle Eastern companies and emerging market companies, King & Spalding said.

King & Spalding's trial and disputes leader Andy Bayman said Haridi's connections in the Middle East will be invaluable to the firm's other offices and practices that focus on developing and taking on work in the Middle East while simultaneously strengthening its international arbitration practice.

Samaa's hire will further bolster our bench of senior talent in this critically important market, he noted, "maintaining a strong international arbitration team is a strategic priority."

"Haridi's entrepreneurial spirit should prove invaluable for cultivating relationships with clients and colleagues," said Edward Kehoe, head of King & Spalding's international arbitration and litigation practice group.

Haridi will increase King & Spalding's New York partnership to over 100 partners, 38 of whom will work in the firm's trial and global disputes practices, according to the firm's website.

The firm has participated in the landmark $2 billion restructuring of Saudi Arabia's largest builder, Azmeel Contracting, recently. Among the largest restructurings under 2018's insolvency legislation is the restructuring agreement being advised by King & Spalding, which is among the largest restructurings ever.

A Miami office opened by King & Spalding in January 2022 helped the firm deepen its existing ties to Florida's booming legal market by providing trial and transactional capabilities on the East Coast.