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Baker & McKenzie: The giant leaves another footprint
Legal giant Baker & McKenzie has further expanded its global presence with the opening of a brand new office. _x000D_
The New Lawyer
GLOBAL giant Baker & McKenzie has further expanded its Middle Eastern presence with the opening of a new office in Qatar.
The new office in Doha will be headed by Bahrain finance partner Ian Siddell and Gulf managing partner Borys Dackiw. The office, which opened yesterday, is the firm's fifth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and its 69th worldwide.
The new office will focus on banking and finance, including Islamic and project finance, energy and infrastructure, corporate and M&A, real estate and hospitality, construction and dispute resolution to serve both international and domestic clients.
Baker & McKenzie has been active in the MENA region since the mid-1970s, opening its Riyadh office in 1980, Cairo in 1985, Bahrain in 1998 and most recently in Abu Dhabi in 2009.
“The establishment of a Qatar office is an important and logical step for us,” said Eduardo Leite, Baker & McKenzie’s chairman of the executive committee.
“For more than three decades, we have built a substantial presence in the MENA region in order to fully support our clients and their business needs wherever they may be.”
Koen Vanhaerents, European Chairman and member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, said the firm has been servicing clients in Qatar for many years, but that the new office will enable the firm to provide on-the-ground support.
The launch in Qatar comes just seven months after Baker opened a 20-lawyer funds and tax-focused practice in Luxemberg.
Leite, who started in his new role last October, is targeting additional growth in Latin America, Turkey, South Korea and Africa.
“The Gulf markets will continue to contribute to economic growth in various markets across the globe,” said Dackiw.
