DLA Piper delivers on full-service Middle East commitment with new Dubai office appointments

The two new partners are Chris P Sioufi, a banking and finance specialist, and Matthew Glynn, an IT and telecoms specialist, taking our United Arab Emirates capability to five partners and 10 associates.

Chris P Sioufi, former General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank, Unicorn Investment Bank, will head DLA Piper's Dubai banking and funds practice. Chris advises on the full range of banking and finance matters, including private equity, corporate and Islamic finance, and asset and fund management. He is fluent in Arabic, French and English and was previously a partner at leading Canadian law firm Ogilvy Renault. In 2004, Lexpert Canada named Chris as one of the top 40 lawyers under the age of 40.

Matthew Glynn, formerly with Linklaters, London and Singapore, where he was responsible for establishing and running their Asian Telecoms Group, will head DLA Piper's Dubai IT and telecoms practice. Matthew advises on a wide range of commercial and regulatory IT and telecoms projects and provides specialist support to corporate, banking and capital market transactions in the IT and telecoms sectors. His practice includes representing a wide range of operators, vendors and lending institutions on various emerging and developing market telecoms and IT assignments across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

On DLA Piper's Middle East strategy, International Development Partner, David Church, now based in Dubai, said: "Our clients have been clear about their demand for full-service international quality legal capabilities located directly in the Middle East - we have responded with our usual effectiveness and commitment. The launch of our Dubai office in January 2006 follows our September 2005 announcement of the successful incorporation of leading Egyptian law firm, Matouk & Bassiouny, into the exclusive alliance of DLA Piper Group. We expect to make further announcements in the near future detailing our expansion into new key Middle Eastern markets."

Commenting on the two new partner appointments, Joint CEO, Nigel Knowles - winner of the prestigious 'Partner of the Year' accolade at both The Lawyer and Legal Week Awards in 2005, said: "We are committed to providing our clients with access to quality international legal services both into and out of the Middle East. Our regional full-service strategy immediately distinguishes us from our competitors, better positioning us to meet the region's increasing demand for multi-jurisdiction legal services. Chris and Matthew's appointments deliver on this commitment, particularly in the areas of banking and finance, and telecoms, media and technology."

Partners David, Chris and Matthew are also joined by existing DLA Piper projects partner, Debbie Barbour, who will divide her time between London and Dubai. Debbie has a long and successful history of advising on Middle East projects, particularly project finance matters. With 10 years' experience in the region, highly regarded rainmaking partner, Jayshree Gupta, from Denton Wilde Sapte will also join the team as Managing Partner on 1 April 2006.

DLA Piper's Dubai office is fully integrated into its global network and will act for the full spectrum of businesses including local, national and multinational companies in a wide range of industry sectors, including telecommunications, technology, media, infrastructure, energy, banking, private equity and construction. The team includes lawyers qualified in a wide range of jurisdictions and combines international and regional private practice experience together with specialist industry expertise.