Morgan Lewis has opened a new office in Riyadh, with the new hires including A&O Shearman’s Saudi Arabia co-managing partner, Sultan Almasoud (pictured).
The M&A and capital markets partner is part of a six-lawyer team launching Morgan Lewis’ new outpost, and joins as office managing partner and Saudi practice lead.
Sanjarbek Abdukhalilov, another corporate partner, has also joined from A&O Shearman, while disputes lawyer Saeed Alqahtani who was previously senior counsel at Al Tamimi & Company, joined the firm in September as of counsel.
The team will be supported by existing Morgan Lewis partners: Middle East and Africa international arbitration practice head Sara Kolieilat-Aranjo, Middle East practice co-lead Ayman Khaleq, and finance partner Sourabh Bhattacharya.
The new office builds on the firm’s existing presence in the region, following its launches in Dubai in 2013 and Abu Dhabi in 2019, and helps the firm position itself to advise on work connected to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy.
Morgan Lewis now has offices in all three of the major hubs in the Gulf region.
‘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,’ said firm chair Jami McKeon.
Almasoud’s practice includes advising on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, and corporate restructuring across sectors such as AI, digital infrastructure and data centres.
He has previously represented large family conglomerates and sovereign wealth funds, and worked as part of a legacy Shearman & Sterling team that advised NEOM Company on its $8.4bn green hydrogen and green ammonia plant in 2023.
The Vision 2030 strategy is focused on accelerating foreign investment and driving long-term economic growth. A raft of firms have opened offices in the region, betting on investment and innovation providing a stable footing for generating mandates.
Last month Reed Smith announced it was opening in Saudi Arabia, following Pinsent Masons, King & Spalding, Akin, BCLP, Simmons & Simmons and Freshfields, which all opened offices in Saudi Arabia this year.
The influx follows a 2023 liberalisation of regulations in the Kingdom, which permitted overseas firms to open offices without a local partner as long as various conditions are met.
The departures of Almasoud and Abdukhalilov are the latest in a flood of departures from A&O Shearman since the the merger between legacy Allen & Overy and legacy Shearman was announced in 2023. The number of partner departures since the announcement has surpassed 170, according to data analysed by Legal Business.
