DLA Piper launches full service Dubai office

The opening of the Dubai office is a significant development for DLA Piper, which has 59 offices worldwide and reported revenues of $1.5 billion/£847.3 million/€1.24 billion for the fiscal year ending on 31 December 2005. Located in the Emaar Business Park, a team of internationally trained lawyers provide clients with a wide range of legal services in line with the firm's full service approach, including corporate finance, banking, real estate, technology, media and projects.

Speaking at the press conference, DLA Piper chairman, Former US Senator George J Mitchell, commented on the importance of Dubai and the Gulf States both economically and politically, leading to a growing demand for full service legal advice within and outside of the region. "Our business was created in recognition of the growing global needs of businesses and demand for high-value services across several disciplines in every major market in the world," said Senator George J Mitchell. "Our global footprint would not be complete without an office in Dubai and we very much see this as the first step in our expansion strategy for the UAE and the Middle East."

DLA Piper made legal history in 2005 following the three-way merger between legacy DLA, with offices across Europe and Asia, US-based law firms Piper Rudnick, and Gray Cary Ware and Friedenrich. With approximately 3,100 lawyers, over 1,500 in the US and a further 1,500 across Europe and Asia, DLA Piper is a truly multicultural international law firm.

Nigel Knowles, Joint CEO commented: "With the merger in 2005 we embarked on a journey to become one of the leading global business law firms. Our strategy is more about adding value wherever our clients do business than it is about size and it is based on the strength of our full service domestic practices and the quality of our relationships with leading local companies. In Dubai we have established an excellent team that will apply the same dedicated approach to first-rate legal services in order to meet the needs of businesses in the region. This is an exciting move for us and we look forward to making further investments in this region in the coming months."

Whilst DLA Piper's Dubai office opened in January 2006 it was officially launched at receptions held in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai on 9 and 10 May. The office has five partners and 10 associates with expertise in corporate, banking, technology, media and communications, real estate, and projects. Headed by Jayshree Gupta, a lawyer with over 10 year's experience in the Dubai market, the office will play a major role in DLA Piper's strategic plans for the region, acting as a hub for the Gulf and the Middle East. In addition, London-based International Development Partner, David Church, has been relocated to Dubai to drive further expansion in the Gulf. DLA Piper has already established an affiliation with Abdulaziz Al Fahad in Saudi Arabia and has a formal alliance with DLA Matouk Bassiouny, a Cairo-based law firm with 20 lawyers.

Jayshree Gupta, Managing Partner of the Dubai office said:

"I am very much looking forward to building a successful business with my colleagues in Dubai at a time where the region is experiencing rapid growth and expansion. We hope to live up to our global and regional clients' expectations as they have been very positive about our move to the region where work has already started flooding in."