Norton Rose has secured an alliance with Saudi Arabian practice Abdulaziz Al-Assaf in a move set to boost the top 10 City law firm’s profile in the Middle East.

The deal with Riyadh-based Abdulaziz, which has 15 lawyers, hands Norton Rose a presence in a third Middle Eastern jurisdiction alongside existing bases in Dubai and Bahrain. The deal goes live on 1 January, 2008, with Norton Rose having previously acted alongside the Saudi outfit on a number of occasions.