DLA Piper consolidates presence in Abu Dhabi with visit from global board

The official visit included dignitaries such as Secretary William S Cohen, former Secretary of State, a Senior International Advisor to DLA Piper and Rt. Hon. The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, former UK Minister for the Middle East and Senior International Advisor to DLA Piper.

The visit also reflects the importance of the rapidly growing office, which has worked on some of the capital's landmark projects since its opening in April 2008.

The Abu Dhabi office was established in response to the growing demand for inbound and outbound legal services and focuses on finance and projects; construction; energy and resources; corporate; real estate; media, IT and employment. The team currently comprises more than 27 lawyers, which includes 7 partners who act on behalf of some of Abu Dhabi's most dynamic commercial entities and banks, many of the key developers, government entities, sovereign wealth funds as well as foreign companies established in, or entering the region.

Commenting on the visit Stephen Webb, Office Managing Partner for Abu Dhabi, said:

"Abu Dhabi is becoming more and more strategically important for the firm not only in the region but globally. The government's diversification model is well thought through, based on solid fundamentals and is being implemented in a measured way."

According to Webb, many local clients investing abroad appreciate being able to walk in and be connected with legal advisors in any of their 66 offices: "Our dual French/Arabic speaking team here is also unique and well integrated with our strong African network. We've decided to go for a full business service model and it is working well for us so far. With 27 lawyers on the ground, I'm told we are the largest international firm in Abu Dhabi, but others also have ambitious expansion plans. We generally prefer to keep a low profile and allow client demands to play a key part in our direction. I like to think we have responded quickly to those demands to date and will hopefully continue to so."

Since opening in 2008, DLA Piper has also established itself in the capital's community through its many CSR initiatives including its founding membership of the Tawteen project designed to encourage Emiratis into the private sector as well as Takatuf where individuals provide their time and effort to assist on local environmental projects, and sponsorship of the law faculty at Al Ain University.

Sir Nigel Knowles, Joint Chief Executive Officer at DLA Piper, said:

"Our intention is to continue to invest in Abu Dhabi in order to build on our existing presence and ability to serve the needs of this very important Emirate, which is of strategic importance to our business globally. There is a huge demand for quality legal services in the Gulf and countries across the region. With our expertise, global knowledge and in-depth sector specialisation, DLA Piper is perfectly positioned to respond to this opportunity."

DLA Piper already has a significant presence across the Arabian Gulf which includes Dubai, Doha, Muscat, Riyadh and Kuwait. The Abu Dhabi office reinforces DLA Piper's commitment to the Middle East and in line with its full service offering will provide businesses in the city with legal advice across a range of disciplines.