William Watson Joins Paul Hastings As Partner In Abu Dhabi, Strengthens Global Finance Practice
William Watson Joins Paul Hastings As Partner In Abu Dhabi, Strengthens Global Finance Practice
Paul Hastings LLP has announced the addition of William Watson as a Partner in its Abu Dhabi office, reinforcing the firm’s international cross-practice capabilities across corporate finance, private credit, and energy and infrastructure.
William Watson, who joins from White & Case LLP, brings extensive experience advising borrowers and lenders on a wide spectrum of debt finance matters — including private credit, leveraged finance, restructuring, and general corporate finance. He regularly represents banks, private credit funds, direct lenders, export credit agencies, sponsors, and corporate and sovereign borrowers across the Middle East, Europe, and Africa in both conventional and Sharia-compliant transactions.
Mo Nurmohamed, Co-Chair of Paul Hastings’ Global Finance practice, said,
“We are excited to welcome Will to the firm, His extensive experience in complex finance transactions in the region strengthens our existing offering in Abu Dhabi and further enhances our ability to serve clients in the region and globally on their most significant matters.”
Watson’s appointment follows the addition of an eight-partner, 20-lawyer team — previously with White & Case — that has joined Paul Hastings over the past three months in Abu Dhabi, London, Paris, and Houston. He will collaborate closely with Partners Din Eshanov, Ibaad Hakim, George Kazakov, Stefan Mrozinski, Xavier Petet, and Habeeb Rahman, who joined as part of the firm’s transformative energy and infrastructure expansion in April 2025.
The team also works in close alignment with Gregory Tan and Rob Freedman, Energy and Infrastructure Partners based in New York, who joined the firm in 2022. Together, this dynamic group enhances the firm’s top-tier Energy and Infrastructure practice, which consistently ranks at the top of global league tables, including #1 in North American Project Finance and #2 in Global Project Finance according to IJGlobal, Infralogic, and Proximo.
Gregory Tan, said,
“Will’s arrival marks another significant step in the strategic expansion of our global energy and infrastructure platform, The group’s growth continues to elevate our ability to advise clients on complex, cross-border matters and bolsters our commitment to delivering premier legal services in the UAE and beyond.”
Commenting on his appointment, William Watson said,
“I am delighted to reunite with my former colleagues and help build out Paul Hastings’ UAE and broader regional platform. I look forward to supporting the energy and infrastructure team in Abu Dhabi while adding experience that is synergistic with the firm’s exceptional global finance practice, in particular its Band 1 private credit and lender-side finance offering.”
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