Trowers and Hamlins assembles new Dubai projects team

Two new lawyers have been recruited for the team, which will complement the firms' existing projects practice in the region. Additional recruits are expected to join the new team very shortly.

The new lawyers are Aaron Lee, formerly with Denton Wilde Sapte, and Suzi Crawford, from Herbert Smith.

Leroy Levy, who is being promoted to Partner with effect from 1 April, will move from Trowers & Hamlins' Abu Dhabi office to head up the team in Dubai. The new team's prime focus will be the fast growing Saudi Arabian market, though it will support Trowers & Hamlins' existing project finance operations in the Middle East, and also encompass activities in North Africa and Pakistan.

Project work will concentrate on four broad sectors: power and water, petrochemical, telecoms and transport.

Leroy Levy of Trowers & Hamlins comments: "We are engaged in big ticket Saudi financings right now and are well on the way to positioning ourselves as the premier projects firm in the Middle East. By creating a team in Dubai, the international financial hub of the Middle East, we are taking a significant step towards fully realising that aim."

"Our work on some of the biggest projects in the region, including Saudi telecoms, power and water and petrochemical deals, has created what has become a very dynamic and successful practice and should ensure we continue to attract high profile work in the future. The Dubai projects team is expected to grow rapidly."

Nick White, Resident Managing Partner of Trowers & Hamlins' UAE offices, says: "Setting up this new projects team in Dubai reflects the tremendous success of our Middle East projects work over the past year. We aim to build on that success by capitalising on Dubai's unique status in the region."

Trowers & Hamlins' projects team, led by Leroy Levy, advised Etihad Etisalat, the UAE mobile telecoms company, on its successful US $3.5 billion bid for the Saudi GSM and 3G licences. The bid was financed by the world's largest ever Islamic financing worth US $1.6bn last October, followed by a hugely over-subscribed IPO, one of the highest participation per capita IPOs in history. The team is currently working on the Shoaiba IWPP, the first IWPP in Saudi Arabia, and is heavily involved in substantial Saudi petrochemical project financings.

Trowers & Hamlins advises upon significant project finance transactions throughout the Middle East region from its five offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Cairo, Dubai and Oman and from its specialist international projects team based in London.