LAWFUEL – The Law Firm Newswire – August 27, 2007
The international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski continues its expansion in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with four lawyers recently joining Fulbright’s Middle East offices, including a global energy projects partner and two lawyers with decades of experience in Saudi Arabia.
In Saudi Arabia, where Fulbright practices in association with the Kadasa Law Firm, Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi National with extensive litigation and commercial transactions experience, has joined Fulbright as senior counsel. Al-Ghamdi has worked with the firm for more than eight years via its association with Nassir A.Kadasa. Also joining in Riyadh as counsel is Richard Tyner, who has spent the past two decades in the region doing corporate, labor and litigation work. For the past five years, Tyner served as partner-in-charge of the Riyadh office of The Law Offices of Dr. Mujahid Al-Sawwaf. Tyner had worked previously with members of Fulbright’s Middle East team.
“Bringing together this group further strengthens our solid and experienced team in the Middle East, where we stand ready to serve any need our clients may have,” said John Lonsberg, the head of Fulbright’s Middle East practice. “From energy projects to corporate transactions and litigation, our attorneys have a wealth of experience in the Middle East and have been on the ground for decades. We know the landscape and are already working to assist with the enormous amount of infrastructure and other project development that is ongoing throughout the region.”
Lonsberg, who has almost 30 years experience in the Middle East, spends significant time in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE and has acted on behalf of the governments of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
“Our lawyers work from a global platform of strategically placed offices that allows us to serve our clients effectively as they expand into emerging markets,” said Michael Irvin, the head of Fulbright’s global energy practice. “Given our firm’s service to the energy sector for over half a century, we believe we are well positioned to meet our clients growing needs in the Middle East and elsewhere.”
Young has been heavily involved in international project development and project finance transactions, as well as in cross-border acquisitions and dispositions in emerging markets. During his career, he has structured and negotiated projects and transactions in Europe, Southeast Asia, North and South America and the former Soviet Union. From Fulbright’s Houston and London offices, where Young was co-assigned, he has focused most recently on energy projects in the Middle East and North Africa. His relocation to Dubai gives greater on-the-ground transactional focus to Fulbright’s fast-growing energy and infrastructure projects practice.
In his two decades in the region, Tyner has advised on distributorships, joint venture agreements and corporate transaction matters. Tyner has also handled litigation, arbitrations and complex insurance claims, labor and employment work. He has been involved in numerous successful cases before the Saudi Labor Court.
“Fulbright offered an opportunity to join a dynamic and growing global firm that takes a team approach to serving its clients’ needs,” Tyner said. “My experience is well-matched with what Fulbright has long offered its clients and I look forward to the chance to offer my experiences and perspectives as more and more foreign and local parties look to the Middle East to invest.”
Al-Ghamdi has experience handling joint ventures, licensing and distribution agreements. His litigation experience includes commercial litigation in the Saudi courts and local and international arbitration. Al-Ghamdi already has worked closely with Fulbright’s Middle East team for more than eight years as a member of the Kadasa Law Firm.
Devine focuses principally on energy and has broad experience representing clients doing business in the Middle East and internationally. He has counseled energy clients on a variety of transactions related to upstream oil and gas, energy, M&A, energy regulation, energy transportation and energy trading. Devine has lived and worked in London, Cairo and in Dubai and been admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
