White & Case has formalised its presence in Saudi Arabia with the grant of a foreign law licence by the Ministry of Justice under new regulations for foreign law firms operating in the Kingdom, and also becomes the first law firm with a significant standing to relocate its regional HQ to the Kingdom from a wider base elsewhere in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
On October 30, Kirkland & Ellis announced that Riyadh would become its regional headquarters, but before that date, it never had another presence in the Middle East. This set the seal on the announcement made in June the firm was to open in the Saudi capital. DWF opened a regional headquarters in Riyadh in 2021.
