- Middle East
- Big Law Weekly
Week covered: 5–11 October 2026 · Back to the week page
Law firm leadership and office growth in the Gulf changed on several fronts this week. Pinsent Masons, Reed Smith and Morgan Lewis, all Global 200 firms, changed their Europe, Middle East and Africa leadership, Law.com International reported.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader also made four lateral hires to rebuild its Gulf corporate and finance practice, Law.com reported. Nishimura & Asahi, Japan's largest firm by headcount, announced plans to open in Dubai, Law.com reported, becoming the third Japanese firm to expand overseas in a week. Read more.
Morgan Lewis builds a 12-member EMEA council under Ayman Khaleq, as Reed Smith and Pinsent Masons also reset
Morgan Lewis & Bockius created a 12-member council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and announced it Thursday. The firm expects the council to advance regional priorities, improve collaboration and sharpen service to global clients, Law360 reported. Middle East practice co-leader Ayman Khaleq leads the council. It works alongside firm chair David McManus and a 23-member EMEA steering committee, The Oath reported.
In a Q&A about his goals and new leadership team, McManus said he had met more lateral partners and lateral groups over the past six months than before. He said the firm plans to grow in a way that fits its culture, Law360 reported. The firm's regional presence includes Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. The Riyadh office opened in November 2025 with six practitioners, Morgan Lewis said.
Reed Smith made its own changes earlier in the year. On 12 January 2026, it appointed Anders Nilsson managing partner of its Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh offices, succeeding Sachin Kerur, who had led them since 2018, Reed Smith said. Nilsson had headed Bird & Bird's Middle East operations before joining Reed Smith.
Nishimura & Asahi plans a Dubai office as Mori Hamada expands in the US and Japan and Sullivan & Cromwell enters Abu Dhabi
Nishimura & Asahi plans to open a Dubai office in January 2027. That would make it the first Japanese firm with its own Middle East base, Law.asia reported. The move follows expansion by Miura & Partners and Mori Hamada. Mori Hamada plans to open offices in Dallas, Houston and Kyoto in 2027, after earlier moves into New York, California and London, Law.com reported.
The Japanese firms are entering a Gulf that is already attracting transatlantic firms. Sullivan & Cromwell opened its first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi under Ahmed T. el-Gaili, who rejoined the firm from Latham & Watkins' Riyadh office, Bloomberg reported. Reed Smith opened a Riyadh office in October 2025, its third in the region. It hired partner Emad Alshaikhi from Mahassni & Co, taking its regional headcount above 25 lawyers, Reed Smith said. Pinsent Masons, King & Spalding, Akin and BCLP all announced Riyadh launches in the first quarter of 2025, Legal Business reported.
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, Gowling WLG and Gateley add corporate, media and tax partners in the Gulf
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader, described as a Gulf "sleeping giant," made four lateral hires this year to expand its corporate and finance practices and catch up with rivals, Law.com reported. The firm is investing in both practices the research describes as a Gulf growth battleground.
Gowling WLG added Fiona Robertson as counsel to lead its Middle East media, entertainment and sports practice, effective October 2026. She brings more than 30 years of experience, including 18 years in the MENA region, The Oath reported. Middle East head Tim Casben linked the hire to investment in streaming, live events and major sporting properties.
Gateley Middle East appointed Renan Ozturk as partner and head of tax, along with an eight-strong team. By its own account, it is the only firm in the region with a standalone tax consultancy alongside integrated legal and tax services, following the Big Four model, Gateley said.
Saudi funding withdrawal sends Gibson Dunn client LIV Golf into Chapter 11
LIV Golf paid Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher more than $7.1 million in discounted legal fees while cutting much of its workforce, according to bankruptcy court records, Bloomberg Law reported. The payment came in the 90 days before the filing, after a 20% discount. Partners and counsel billed $995 to $3,240 an hour.
Saudi backers withdrew the circuit's funding amid Middle East geopolitical conflicts, sending it into Chapter 11 in Trenton, New Jersey.
The week's developments all involve the Gulf. Firms changed who runs their Middle East and wider EMEA operations, planned offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, and hired partners in corporate, finance, media and tax. The pattern suggests the work is tracking regional capital, including Vision 2030 mandates and media and sports investment. In LIV Golf's bankruptcy, that capital was withdrawn.
The full list of the week's moves is on the Middle East week page.
