Clifford Chance announces intention to open in Abu Dhabi

Notes and media contacts

1. Clifford Chance currently has a presence in the Middle East through its market leading office
in Dubai.
2. Clifford Chance's 74-lawyer Dubai office is fully integrated into the Firm's worldwide network.
The Firm celebrated its 30th anniversary in the United Arab Emirates in 2005, having opened its
first office in 1975.
3. Clifford Chance was named ' Middle East Law Firm of the Year ' in the 2007 IFLR Middle East awards. The Dubai office has grown significantly over the past 4 years, from a 2 partner, 26-lawyer office in 2004 to a 7 partner, 74-lawyer office today. The Firm expects similar success from its office in Abu Dhabi. Recent landmark deals on which the Firm has advised in the region include:

Aldar Properties PJSC: we advised Aldar Properties PJSC in connection with the establishment of its multi-billion $ Islamic convertible sukuk issuance programme listed on the London Stock Exchange and convertible into shares of Aldar Properties PJSC listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Market. This was the largest convertible sukuk in Abu Dhabi.

Abraaj Capital (the leading private equity firm in the Middle East) on the US$1.41 billion
acquisition of Egyptian Fertilisers Company (SAE), the largest private equity transaction to date in the Middle East and North Africa (IFLR Middle East Awards: "M&A Deal of the Year" 2007)
The project company on the financing of the Al-Waha PP-PDH petrochemicals project. This is
the first limited recourse greenfield project not to use any conventional bank debt (IFLR Middle East Awards: "Project Finance Deal of the Year" 2007)
4. Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The Firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resource across the Americas, Europe, The Middle East and Asia and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax; pensions and employment; litigation/arbitration and dispute resolution. Clifford Chance has 27 offices in 20 countries and 3,800 legal advisers.
5. Clifford Chance achieved the highest number of top tier rankings of any firm in the Chambers
Global 2008 Directory, cited in 20 international tables. This independent analysis focuses on
firms' legal ability, professional conduct, client service, and commercial awareness, and these rankings provide outstanding recognition for the firm's breadth of expertise and consistency of quality across global markets.

For further information about Clifford Chance see www.cliffordchance.com <
http://www.cliffordchance.com>

For further information about this release contact Sarah Mandeno on +44 (0) 207 006 4112 or
Melanie Carruthers on +971 (0)4 362 0623, or Graham Lovett (office managing partner) on +971 (0)4 362 0625.