Leading international law firm Clifford Chance has announced the promotion of Tariq Imam, a lawyer to partnership for its Middle East operations along with two others - Nicola Reader and Inaamul Laher - for counsel.

The new partner promotion is part of a global cohort of 30 lawyers elected to the partnership, drawn from all of the firm's market-leading practices and across its global network. These promotions take effect May 1.

Imam, who leads the Middle East real estate practice, had joined Clifford Chance in 2011. He was qualified in New Zealand.

In his new role, Imam will focus on his primary areas of large development projects and real estate financing in the region, as well as investment deals (both direct and indirect) and transactions in the hospitality sector.

He also supports the firm's regional institutional investor clients on outbound transactions.

Reader got trained with Clifford Chance and qualified into the London restructuring practice, and she has been based in the region since 2015 in the Abu Dhabi office. Her primary area of focus is financial restructurings/distressed debt and general financings.

Reader had last year won top recognition as the Rising Star at the IFLR Awards 2018, said the company in its statement.

Laher, who leads the regional front-end construction group, is based in Abu Dhabi. He had relocated from the company's London office in 2016.

He has a strong track record of working with sponsors/developers, government authorities, lenders (including ECAs, DFIs and Islamic financiers), institutional investors and contractors on the construction and maintenance of complex assets across all major industry sectors, including oil and gas, IWPs, conventional and renewable power, infrastructure/PPPs and major real estate schemes.

These new  appointments come close on the heels of the company's announcement of Mo Al Shukairy taking over as the new regional managing partner for the Middle East starting from May 1 for a four-year term.

Lauding the appointments, Al Shukairy said: "We are very pleased to welcome Imam to the partnership and to extend our congratulations to Reader and Laher on their promotion to counsel. Our new appointments reflect our continued success in and commitment to the Middle East."

" Imam, Reader and Laher are highly respected by our clients and in the market. These promotions reinforce our capabilities in the region, to support the firm's clients in and out of the Middle East. We wish them every success," he added.-TradeArabia News Service