Baker and McKenzie promotes two partners in the Gulf

Specializing in project and Islamic finance, Bilal recently advised the Saudi Binladin Group on a SAR700m ($187m) Sukuk Al-Murabaha issued by SBG Sukuk Limited. Zahi Younes spent three years with Legal Advisors in association with Baker & McKenzie in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before relocating to the Abu Dhabi office in April 2009.

Zahi has been involved in some of the largest IPOs in Saudi Arabia (including Ma'aden and Kingdom Holding Company) and has recently been advising a number of the firm's institutional clients on restructuring their Middle East operations.

Commenting on the appointments, Borys Dackiw, Managing Partner - Gulf Region, stated "Bilal and Zahi's appointments are both richly deserved. Bilal adds further strength to the leadership of our highly regarded banking and finance group in the Gulf while Zahi's corporate, commercial and capital markets experience in the Saudi market will help us service both regional and global clients of the firm in the UAE."

Baker & McKenzie has been active in the Saudi Arabia market since the mid-1970s, opening its Bahrain office in 1998 and most recently in Abu Dhabi in early 2009. The Firm's Middle East and North Africa presence also includes a long-standing office in Cairo, Egypt.