Rizwan Kanji, debt capital markets and sukuk specialist, joining King and Spalding

"The Middle East is a key element of our firm's strategy for international growth, and we expect to see continued growth in sukuk offerings in the region and in other capital markets," said Isam Salah, head of King & Spalding's Middle East and Islamic finance practice.

"Rizwan's recognized expertise in debt capital markets work complements our award-winning reputation for property investments, private equity deals and fund formations throughout the region."

Kanji joins King & Spalding from Norton Rose, where he led its Middle East debt capital markets practice. He has advised on several recent landmark sukuk and conventional transactions, including the first Turkish sukuk, a $100m offering by Kuveyt Turk Katilim Bankasi A.S. in August; the first sovereign sukuk (Kingdom of Bahrain) to be listed on the London Stock Exchange; the establishment last month of Islamic Development Bank's $3.5bn Trust Certificate Program dual-listed on the London Stock Exchange and Bursa Malaysia; and the establishment of a $2bn EMTN program for Emaar Properties PJSC.

"We are pleased to welcome Rizwan to our firm," said Jawad I. Ali, managing partner of King & Spalding's offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.

"Building our debt capital markets and sukuk practice is an important component of the firm's strategy in the region, both on a stand-alone basis and as part of our Islamic finance, projects and project finance practice."

King & Spalding has a team of nearly 30 lawyers in its Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh offices specializing in complex commercial, corporate and financial transactions as well as project development, construction and engineering, with particular emphasis on matters related to the energy industry. The firm has long been considered a leader in Islamic finance and banking, being one of the first firms to create a practice focused on this specialty and pioneering many of the Shari'ah-compliant financial products that exist today. In 2009, King & Spalding received Chambers Global and Chambers USA's highest rankings for the firm's work in the Middle East.