Following Greenberg Traurig, LLP‘s earlier announcement of its affiliation with the Khalid Al-Thebity Law Firm in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the global law firm has now received its license to open in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Now with a total of eight shareholders, five of counsel, and five associates and trainees across the Kingdom and UAE, the firm marks this event by welcoming its latest additions of top-ranked UAE real estate and hospitality lawyers Stephen Kelly and Sarah Mahood to its UAE office, joining from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner. Highly regarded real estate lawyer Rebecca Comerford also joins the firm in Dubai as Of Counsel.
“We are proud to extend our regional reach by launching the firm’s UAE office with an existing and now enhanced core of empowered leaders, who join Khalid A. Al-Thebity and team already operating in the Kingdom. Khalid is our regional leader, and I am personally committed to being present and continuing to work closely with him and our other key shareholders as may be most helpful, warmly embracing them all as the newest members of our unified GT global family,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Executive Chairman of Greenberg Traurig.
“Our vision is always long term, and we are honored to play a part in the regional growth and innovation phenomenon here that is simply unprecedented in both scope and magnitude, cutting across virtually all of our core strategic practices and industries, while becoming a key source of global investment,” Rosenbaum continued. “All this, while staying true to the foundational pillars upon which we have sustained our success across America and around the world for over 50 years: trust, respect, collaboration, adaptation to change, empowerment of leaders on the ground, and a fair meritocracy that delivers consistent excellence in both service and substance, putting our clients and our people first.”
“When considering our many options, we were drawn to the unique set of values, geographical locations, practices, industries, and especially the true sense of ‘family,’ which began with Richard and has extended across all of our many contacts with the lawyers and professional staff of Greenberg Traurig,” said Al-Thebity, the firm’s Middle East regional leader, who has continuously practiced in the Kingdom for over 25 years and has had a friendship with Rosenbaum and others in the firm for many years. “This is not about one more firm attempting to ‘buy’ market share with no clear strategy; the region and its needs fit well with Greenberg Traurig’s long-term strategies and culture, and with the commitment and flexibility required. I have been working closely with Richard to most efficiently and effectively build our critical mass of like-minded and top-quality lawyers across these countries. We have received strong, welcoming and able assistance and support from firm leaders and business professionals throughout Greenberg Traurig – all of whom also have a real understanding of what we need to build and succeed here. This allows us to avoid the politics and bureaucracy common in market entry and operational efforts in so many traditional firms.”
Read the full press release.