Clifford Chance named 'Middle East Law Firm of the Year'

Notes and media contacts

1. Clifford Chance's 63-lawyer Dubai office is fully integrated into the firm's worldwide network of offices and has a market leading finance practice in the Middle East. The firm celebrated its 30th anniversary in the United Arab Emirates in 2005, having opened its first office in the region in Sharjah in 1975.

2. The corporate practice, which comprises 820 legal advisers worldwide, handles some of the world's largest and most complex M&A transactions. The practice combines global transaction capability with a full service of English, US and civil law expertise in the key financial centres across Europe, the Americas and Asia. In addition to mainstream M&A, the firm also encompasses leading specialist practices in: commercial contracts, competition and antitrust, communications, energy, healthcare, financial institutions, funds, investment banking, insurance, media and technology, and private equity.

3. The practice focuses on providing practical and commercial legal advice. Clients include investment banks and financial institutions, multinationals and other public and private corporations, private equity providers and management teams, asset management clients, international partnerships and governments.

4. Clifford Chance's global private equity practice is a market leader providing the highest quality advice on all aspects of private equity. Our uniquely integrated service is provided by specialist lawyers with extensive multi-jurisdictional experience combined with a business focused, innovative approach.

5. The firm has the world's largest international finance practice with approximately 719 partners and lawyers located in major financial and commercial centres worldwide. The practice provides advice across the full spectrum of financial products including bank lending, acquisition finance, asset finance, derivatives, project finance, restructuring and insolvency and structured finance.

Clifford Chance is the first firm to bring together lawyers in Europe, the Americas and Asia to advise on national and international regulatory issues and the relationship between regulatory systems. It acts for all the world's leading investment and commercial banks across all major jurisdictions as well as many corporate businesses. The practice also advises regulatory authorities, supranational bodies, governments and government agencies.

6. Clifford Chance LLP is one of the world's leading professional service organisations, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards of business and law with local specialist service. The firm is organised around six legal practice areas: capital markets; corporate (including M&A); finance; litigation and dispute resolution; real estate; and tax, pensions and employment law. Clifford Chance has 27 offices in 20 countries, and 3,800 legal advisers.

For further information about this release contact Melanie Carruthers on +971 (0)4 362 0623 or Sarah Mandeno on +44 (0)20 7006 4112.