Leading international law firm Addleshaw Goddard has announced another key partner hire for its upcoming office in the Saudi capital Riyadh which is currently pending regulatory approvals. 

 

Amar Meher will join the firm to lead its banking, finance and restructuring practices in Saudi Arabia, completing the five-strong partner group launching the office.

 

Prior to this, Meher had worked for several leading international law firms, including Latham & Watkins in its Riyadh office, Allen & Overy in both its London and Dubai offices and Vinson & Elkins in its Dubai office.

 

Addleshaw Goddard's fourth office in the Mena region and 17th overall will be led by Andrew Johnston, its Head of Middle East and Asia, and will include three high profile partners in addition to Meher.

 

These include Ibrahim Siddiki who joins from Bracewell in Dubai, where he led the KSA corporate M&A practice as a partner, Homam Khoshaim, an M&A expert formerly at Latham & Watkins, while Projects & Infrastructure partner Alex Sarac is relocating to Riyadh from the Dubai office to complete the partner group.

 

On Meher's appointment, Addleshaw Goddard said he has a broad practice which principally focuses on debt restructurings, conventional and Islamic finance across all financing areas and asset classes and Shari’ah-compliant structured products, such as derivatives and investment funds. 

 

He has been involved in some of the most complex and significant restructurings in the Kingdom, and acted on numerous milestone conventional and Islamic facilities for various high profile publicly listed and non-publicly listed clients, said the top law firm in its statement.

 

Meher has a reputation amongst clients as the go-to lawyer for debt restructurings and structured financings in Saudi Arabia.

 

AG's presence in KSA, the fastest growing country in the G20, is still subject to regulatory clearance. On launch day, the office will also comprise eight lawyers and paralegals. 

 

The 13-strong team will offer expertise in corporate, banking and finance and infrastructure assignments and has broad sector expertise in energy, oil and gas, renewables, infrastructure, transport, technology, hospitality, manufacturing and consumer goods which aligns closely with KSA Vision 2030.

 

On Meher’s appointment, Johnston said: "The market reaction to our planned launch in KSA has been very encouraging and we are delighted that another highly well-known and respected lawyer in the local market has chosen to join Homam and Ibrahim to spearhead AG’s new office in Riyadh. He is an excellent fit for our business and a stand-out lawyer in his specialist field who shares our ambition to make a real impact for our clients in sectors closely aligned with Saudi Vision 2030."

 

On his new role, Meher said: "I am delighted to join Addleshaw Goddard as a partner in its Riyadh office. Together with our outstanding team both internationally and regionally, I look forward to the opportunity to establish a leading law firm in KSA particularly at a pivotal time when both the firm and the country are at the forefront of international attention for their respective enviable international growth and unprecedented transformation under Vision 2030."

 

In 2022, Addleshaw Goddard expanded further into European markets important to clients, opening offices in Dublin and Luxembourg, and two in Germany (Frankfurt and Munich). 

 

It serves clients in Asia through its hub in Singapore and also has a growing presence in Paris, Hamburg and in six of the UK's key commercial centres.-TradeArabia News Service