11 May 2007 – LAWFUEL – The Law Newswire – Allen & Overy will establish an associated office in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, further expanding our footprint in the Middle East. It is anticipated that the new office will be operational in July 2007 and will work closely with our Dubai, London, Tokyo and New York offices, each of which has been actively involved in large transactions in the Kingdom.
Allen & Overy will be associated with Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm in Riyadh, where partner Julian Johansen will be based.
“We have been advising on large transactions in the Kingdom for over 30 years, so setting up an office in Saudi Arabia is a natural extension for us in the region,” said Brian Harrison, Allen & Overy’s Head of Asian practice. “With our long established Dubai office, an on-ground presence in Riyadh will form a powerful base in the Middle East from which we can offer seamless local and international legal services to our global clients and a growing number of regional clients.”
Simon Roderick, Managing Partner of Allen & Overy’s Dubai office, commented: “We are very pleased to form an association with Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm. We have been considering how best to service our clients in the Kingdom and Abdulaziz represents a good fit.
“With a Riyadh presence, which includes a lawyer of Julian’s seniority and calibre supported by a team of associates, we are better placed to advise both our increasingly strategic Saudi client base, as well as those international clients looking at large transactions in the Kingdom.”
Julian Johansen is experienced in a broad range of legal disciplines including Islamic finance, banking, project finance, capital markets and general corporate work. Julian has previously worked for two years in the Kingdom and is fluent in Arabic.
Mr Abdulaziz AlGasim, Managing Partner of Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm, commented: “We are pleased to be in association with Allen & Overy and we consider the association to be a powerful combination of our firm’s experience in the field of Islamic Finance, Saudi Law and Islamic Sharia with that of Allen & Overy’s worldwide offices and all of their esteemed clients.”
Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm is a local Saudi legal firm known for its expertise and specialisation in Islamic Finance, Corporate Matters, Capital Markets, and Cooperative Insurance in the Saudi law context.
With more than 20 years extensive experience in Saudi law, Mr. Abdulaziz AlGasim was a Judge in the Saudi Courts before entering private practice. Abdulaziz AlGasim Law Firm comprises a number of distinguished professional lawyers who render their services to a wide range of clients including most of the major banks and Saudi financial organisations.
