Lathams Saudi Office Boost
Latham & Watkins has hired a leading M&A partner from a rival firm in Saudi Arabia to boost its Riyadh office. Leen Zaza joins a 20-lawyer team in Riyadh office led by capital markets specialist lawyer Salman Al-Sudairi, who chairs Latham & Watkins’ Saudi Arabia practice and acts as office managing partner for the Middle East and North Africa.
The firm’s press statement on the announcement is below –
Latham & Watkins1 is pleased to announce that Leen Zaza has joined the firm’s Riyadh office as a partner in the M&A and Private Equity Practice. Zaza regularly advises Saudi and international companies, private equity firms, investors, and government bodies on a variety of complex transactions, with a particular focus on private M&A, joint ventures, divestments, corporate governance, and corporate regulatory and advisory matters.
“Leen is a highly regarded practitioner with first-class technical skills and a wealth of experience advising on some of the region’s most significant strategic M&A and private equity transactions,” said Salman Al-Sudairi, Managing Partner of the MENA Region at Latham & Watkins. “Her broad practice spans important sectors that are central to Saudi Arabia’s ambitious growth plans, and she will be a terrific addition to our strong and growing team.”
Zaza has significant experience advising on high-profile transactions across a variety of industries, including energy and infrastructure, shipping, industrials, healthcare and life sciences, e-commerce, real estate, and retail. She also regularly counsels boards and senior executives on general corporate regulatory and advisory work.
“Latham & Watkins’ transactional capability in the Middle East is among the very best and the firm is known for its deep industry knowledge, cutting-edge work on transformational deals, and highly skilled teams,” said Charles Ruck, Global Chair of Latham & Watkins’ Corporate Department. “Saudi Arabia is a major global financial and commercial hub and represents an important pillar of our global strategy. Leen’s track record, connections, and experience are highly complementary to the firm’s, and we are delighted to welcome her to the team.”
Zaza’s arrival represents the latest investment the firm has made in Riyadh, following the promotion of Project Development & Finance counsel Marc Makary and Derek McKinley and White Collar Defense & Investigations associate Abdullah Alsaeed to partner. The firm has been operating in the Middle East since 2008 and was recently granted a Regional Headquarters (RHQ) License by the Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia.
Zaza joins Latham from Khoshaim & Associates. She received her LLB and LLM from the University of Bristol.
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Latham & Watkins delivers innovative solutions to complex legal and business challenges around the world. From a global platform, our lawyers advise clients on market-shaping transactions, high-stakes litigation and trials, and sophisticated regulatory matters. Latham is one of the world’s largest providers of pro bono services, steadfastly supports initiatives designed to advance diversity within the firm and the legal profession, and is committed to exploring and promoting environmental sustainability.
