Clyde & Co celebrates QFC office opening

A reception, hosted in association with the British Embassy, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Doha, attended by a range of high profile corporate figures as well as the diplomatic representatives of no less than 24 countries.

The new premises, located in the QFC Tower, will become the centre of Clyde & Co's activities in Qatar.

Over 250 people attended the reception event.

Clyde & Co. obtained its QFC licence at the end of 2006 and first opened its office, the third in the region after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the Ministry of Economy and Commerce Building. Previously the firm had serviced Qatar from its regional offices in the UAE.

Headed by Partner David Salt, the firm's Doha team currently consists of eight lawyers offering a full range of legal disciplines in both Arabic and English languages, providing legal counsel and guidance on the local Qatari legal framework, Qatar Financial Centre and International laws. Five additional lawyers are scheduled to join the office over the upcoming year. In addition to Clyde & Co's global strengths in the areas of aviation, insurance and reinsurance, marine and shipping and dispute resolution, the Qatar team's areas of expertise comprise banking and finance (including Islamic finance), corporate and commercial, information and communications technology, intellectual property, property and construction, and regulation.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. David Salt said: "It is particularly exciting to be at the forefront of policy development in the world's fastest growing developed economy and dealing with the challenges and opportunities that this work entails. Qatar has become a serious attraction for many international companies eager to take advantage of the business potential here and, by establishing a presence in the QFC, Clyde & Co is perfectly placed to provide a premium commercial service to clients in Qatar and across the region."

Highlighting the importance of the occasion, a selection of Partners from Clyde & Co's UK, Middle Eastern and Far Eastern offices were also in attendance at the event
Established in 1933, Clyde & Co originally made its name as a transportation practice, particularly in the shipping, road and aviation sectors. Today the firm, with its 18 international offices and over 1,200 employees worldwide, continues to have a pre-eminent reputation in its core sectors of insurance and reinsurance, marine, aviation and transportation, international trade and energy and corporate and commercial, handling the most high profile and complex matters. In the Middle East the firm is considered to be one of a handful of top-tier firms that can advise on issues across a full range of legal disciplines.

Clyde & Co. has won many prestigious international and regional awards and accolades. Recent global achievements have included being named 'Global Aviation Law Firm of the Year' for the last three years by Who's Who Legal, and being awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade. Regionally the firm has been granted the title of 'Firm of the Year 2007' for the UAE in the areas of Real Estate and Litigation respectively by Asian-Counsel magazine. In the UAE, Clyde & Co has been named in 2007 as the leading law firm for the third successive year by the legal directory 'Legal 500', and in 2008 has been listed as having more leading lawyers in the UAE than any other law firm by the 'Chambers Global' legal directory.