Freshfields has made exclusive its previously informal alliance with Saudi Arabian lawyer Salah Al-Hejailan.
The two firms originally established an informal arrangement in May 2008, after Freshfields brought on board Fares Al-Hejailan, the son of the Saudi firm’s founder, as the co-head of its Saudi practice. Before the tie up with Freshfields, Al-Hejailan had arrangements with Clifford Chance and Hogan & Hartson, and had been ‘cooperating’ with Freshfields for many years.
The informal association proved itself in September 2008 for Freshfields after it gained a mandate on the US$1.2bn arbitration case between real-estate firms Emaar Properties and Jadawel International. The firm worked alongside Salah Al Hejailan, and the Saudi firm of Mohammed Al Dabaan.
Maintaining a strong relationship with its Saudi sponsor has been a key part in solidifying Freshfields’ presence in the country. In making exclusive the arrangement, Freshfields may bypass the problems faced by other international firms such as DLA Piper which lost its Saudi sponsor in 2009, and White & Case which lost its sponsor in January 2010.
Finance partner Tobias Müller-Deku, who was relocated from Freshfields’ Munich office last October, will be the Saudi practice’s managing partner. He said the two firms can increase their focus on banking & finance work: “Foreign investment in Saudi Arabia has boomed over the last decade and the private sector now accounts for a considerable share of what used to be a largely oil-based economy,” he said. “Consequently, deal interest has risen and with it the demand for quality legal services that combine established local knowledge with multi-jurisdictional capabilities.”
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