Only a few months after snaring high-profile partner Shibeer Ahmed from Gulf rival Lovells, Baker Botts has announced further expansion of its Middle East footprint by adding partners in its Dubai office and opening an office in Abu Dhabi.
The firm cites an increased demand for legal services in its core areas of business- projects and oil & gas- as the rationale behind the moves, saying that further expansion would be forthcoming. The firm's new office will be headed by recently relocated partner Greg Holden. Holden moves from the Washington DC office and boasts experience in a wide range of international transactions.
This latest move now brings the total number of offices the firm has in the region to three. In addition to Abu Dhabi, it also has a physical presence in Dubai and Riyadh. Over the past five years lawyer numbers have increased by nearly 400% in the Gulf. The firmed opened in Dubai in 2005 with a mere five lawyers and can now boast over 20 across the region.
Related stories:
Lovells Dubai chief heads for Baker Botts
Lovells' Dubai office managing partner, Shibeer Ahmad, has moved to Baker Botts.