Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has further expanded its Middle East presence with the addition of partner Chris P Sioufi and senior associate Samer Amro in its Dubai offic
Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has further expanded its Middle East presence with the addition of partner Chris P Sioufi and senior associate Samer Amro in its Dubai office, the firm announced today.
Gavin B. Watson, partner-in-charge in Akin Gump’s Dubai office, said: ‘Since we launched our Dubai office in 2005, the demand from both regional and international clients for legal expertise in relation to investment funds, private equity and Islamic finance has grown considerably. Chris and Samer will further enhance our ability to meet this demand, adding significant depth to our regional funds and transactional capabilities. We are delighted to welcome them aboard.’
Sioufi, the former general counsel and chief compliance officer of Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank, an Islamic investment bank, will advise banks, investment banks, Islamic financial institutions, private equity houses, corporations and family holdings across the MENA region on the full range of investment banking and corporate transactional matters, including private equity, funds, Islamic finance and corporate finance. He joins Akin Gump from DLA Piper, where he led that firm’s banking and investment banking practice for the Middle East. He was formerly a partner at leading Canadian law firm Ogilvy Renault and was named by Lexpert as one of the Top 40 lawyers under the age of 40 in Canada in 2004.
Stephen M. Vine, chair of the firm’s investment funds private equity practice, said: ‘Akin Gump has long been recognized as a leader in the area of private equity and investment funds. Chris and Samer’s depth and breadth of experience in this area, including their work with Shari’ah-compliant funds, will significantly benefit our clients. Their addition to the firm positions us to take advantage of what we are convinced is a compelling market opportunity.’
Sioufi commented: ‘I will focus on supplementing and enhancing the firm’s existing Islamic finance expertise, including in the evolving market of Shari’ah-compliant hedge funds. Our regional clients will benefit significantly from the international experience and reach of Akin Gump, and we can now offer the firm’s international clients the top-tier funds and private equity legal expertise and service standards in this region that they rightly expect and deserve.’
Akin Gump lawyers have been advising clients in the Middle East for several decades, and the firm has had a presence in the region for more than seven years. The firm’s Dubai office opened in 2005 and advises clients on a range of matters, including energy project development and finance, investment funds, private equity/M&A and Islamic investment products. In September 2006 Akin Gump became the first U.S. law firm to receive a license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to provide legal services to financial institutions operating in the Dubai International Financial Centre.
