Kirkland & Ellis has become the latest major law firm to announce the opening of an office in Saudi Arabia.
For the launch, the world’s largest law firm by revenue has hired a partner from Latham & Watkins and two local partners from White & Case ahead of the office’s opening, according to a person at the firm.
Latham corporate partner Noor Al-Fawzan will join from Latham’s affiliate Riyadh office, while Waad Alkurini and Manal Al-Musharaf join from White & Case.
Kirkland joins a number of other law firms to set up bases in the region, following a rule change on how international firms can operate in the country came into effect earlier this year.
After being granted licences by the Saudi government, Latham, Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills all announced that they were establishing a Saudi presence in March.
Earlier this year, Dentons and Greenberg Traurig also solidified their presences in the region. Operating in association with The Law Firm of Wael A. Alissa, Dentons has offices in Riyadh and Jeddah.
According to a Law.com analysis, in April, Kirkland advised on just one of the largest 20 deals in the preceding 15 months, despite being the most frequent adviser on Europe’s biggest buyouts of 2021. In 2021, Kirkland & Ellis opened an office in Brussels in a bid to boost its European antitrust offering.
A Kirkland spokesperson commented: “Riyadh is an important market for international business and one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Many of our clients are active and growing in Saudi Arabia, and we are actively considering our options and client needs there.”
Latham had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
White & Case declined to comment.
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