Washington D.C./Houston – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – The international law firm of Fulbright & Jaworski announces today the expansion of its Middle East practice through the establishment of a presence in Dubai and Riyadh. Joining the firm to lead the Middle East practice is partner John V. Lonsberg, along with partner Mark E. Bisch. Also joining Fulbright & Jaworski are Sam E. Eversman as senior counsel, Hassan Mostafa Kamel Elsayed as senior Middle East counsel, and Amgad T. Husein and Stanley E. Rice, both as senior associates. All have extensive resident experience in the Middle East.
Fulbright’s presence in Dubai will be established in association with Khalid M. Kadfoor Al-Mehairi of Al-Mehairi Legal Consultants. The Riyadh presence will be established in association with Nassir A. Kadasa of the Kadasa Law Firm. The associated offices also have Arabic-English translation capability, and additional Fulbright lawyers will split their time between the Middle East and the firm’s London and United States offices.
The practice will focus primarily on international transactions, energy, project finance, defense procurement, hospitality, tourism and international dispute resolution, including arbitration, throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Currently, Fulbright’s International Department comprises more than 130 lawyers from eight U.S. offices and five international locations in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Fulbright’s worldwide energy practice includes 250 lawyers and has been named by Chambers and Partners as one of the top energy law firms in the United States. Fulbright’s Structured and Project Finance Practice Group serves clients in projects on virtually every continent. The firm’s International Arbitration Practice Group has garnered numerous honors, including being named among the “Arbitration Elite” by The American Lawyer.
Steven B. Pfeiffer, chair of Fulbright’s Executive Committee, stated, “Fulbright lawyers are strategically placed around the globe where our clients need us, and the Middle East is and will remain central to worldwide commerce. While we have been working in the region for decades, putting Fulbright lawyers on the ground in Dubai and Riyadh provides a vital connection with all our offices in the United States, Asia and Europe to offer worldwide delivery of client services. John Lonsberg, Mark Bisch, Sam Eversman and our other new colleagues have long-established and well-respected Middle East practices that have, for decades, served a world-class clientele in the region.”
New partner John Lonsberg said, “Friendships go back two decades with some of my new Fulbright colleagues, so we are pleased to be joining the firm. Fulbright has many valued clients in the Middle East, and lawyers throughout the firm have strong expertise in working in the region. Fulbright is well-known in energy, international dispute resolution and project finance – all areas important to business expansion in the Middle East. Adding the firm’s strengths to our 25 years of experience of living and working in the region will provide clients unparalleled service.”
Jeffrey A. Blount, Hong Kong partner-in-charge and co-head of Fulbright’s International Department, said, “The Middle East has always been a crossroads for world commerce. The Asian-Middle East connection is strong and growing. The Middle East itself also presents significant long-term opportunities that align with our strengths in energy and finance.”
C. Mark Baker, co-head of both the International Department and International Arbitration Practice Group, stated, “We welcome our new colleagues. They and our new offices in Dubai and Riyadh are a logical next step in our steady expansion of Fulbright’s international arbitration practice. The strategy here is the same as we followed in recently adding ten lawyers to our London office, including Lista Cannon who now heads our European disputes practice. What prompted us to make this move now is the unmatched long-term experience in the region of John, Mark and our other new colleagues.”
Bringing his more than 25 years of experience in the Middle East, John Lonsberg joins Fulbright as a partner focusing on expanding his significant existing practice in the region. Lonsberg concentrates on international commercial transactions, including the negotiation of manufacturing strategic alliances in the aerospace and high-technology industries in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. He has also acted on behalf of the governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Yemen, as well as participated in international dispute resolution. Lonsberg is a former chair of the Committee on Middle Eastern Law of the American Bar Association’s Section on International Law. Lonsberg was formerly a partner at Bryan Cave, where he led the International Client Service Group.
Also joining Fulbright as a partner, Mark Bisch will continue to represent large multinational corporations and other international clients doing business in the region and will remain resident in Dubai. Bisch brings more than 10 years of experience living and working in the Middle East. Bisch focuses on a wide range of international commercial transactions, including joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, corporate formations and governance, technology matters and international dispute resolution. He regularly advises clients on matters in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Bisch also was formerly a partner with Bryan Cave.
Relocating to Dubai is Fulbright partner John Boehm, who will reside in the firm’s new Dubai office. Boehm’s career with Fulbright has involved a breadth of commercial, technology licensing, corporate, and infrastructure financing that is well-suited to the needs of Fulbright clients in the region.
Also joining the firm are four other lawyers. Senior Middle East counsel Hassan Mostafa Kamel Elsayed will continue to reside in Dubai. He has a broad corporate and commercial experience, including litigation, international arbitration, licensing and intellectual property, as well as Islamic law. Sam Eversman comes to Fulbright as senior counsel with over 10 years’ experience in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait. A certified public accountant, Eversman focuses on assisting businesses explore, structure, establish and open operations in the Middle East and representing Middle East governmental and business clients with transactions or disputes outside the Middle East.
His legal practice includes international transactions, corporate and project finance, joint ventures and intellectual property transfer. While with Bryan Cave, Eversman lived in Riyadh, Dubai and Kuwait. Amgad T. Husein is a senior associate in Fulbright’s Riyadh office and will focus primarily on major American, European and Asian-based banking and corporate institutions doing business in the Arab Gulf region. Stanley E. Rice, who is a senior associate in Fulbright’s Dubai office, is a certified public accountant, concentrating on commercial litigation and transactions – particularly in technology and telecommunications.
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Founded in 1919, Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. is a leading full-service international law firm, with more than 940 lawyers in 13 locations in Houston, New York, Washington D.C., Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Antonio, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Munich and Riyadh. Fulbright provides a full range of legal services to both domestic and foreign clients worldwide.
The 2005 BTI survey of FORTUNE 1000 general counsel chose Fulbright as a “Power Elite Law Firm,” Corporate Board Member magazine named Fulbright among the top 20 corporate law firms in the U.S. in their survey of board members of public companies, and International Law Office, based on survey responses received from international corporate counsel, awarded Fulbright the “2005 Client Choice Award” as the top law firm for client service in the United States. For more information, please visit www.fulbright.com .
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FOR PRESS INQUIRIES:
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Allan Ripp, +212-721-7468 or Arippnyc@aol.com
Leigh Ann Nicas, +713-651-5582 or lnicas@fulbright.com
Europe:
Sarah Rowan, +44-20-7282-1049 or sarah.rowan@citigatedr.co.uk
Middle East:
John Hobday, +971(0) 50 4648 706 or john.hobday@citigateme.com
Leigh Ann Nicas
Public Relations Manager
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
713/651-5582
lnicas@fulbright.com
1301 McKinney, Suite 5100
Houston, Texas 77010-3095
