Saudi Arabia

Herbert Smith LLP has a formal and exclusive association in Saudi Arabia with the Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association (GPA), a leading law firm that is one of the largest in the Kingdom.
 
GPA itself was established in 1969 by Talal Amin Al Ghazzawi, its current chairman. GPA is considered a market leader in advising on all aspects of international and local Saudi law. Its broad base contentious and non-contentious expertise provides clients with a full service capability that is second to none in the Kingdom, and the firm advises major Saudi businesses and a substantial number of significant international companies. This international outlook, combined with an in-depth understanding of the Kingdom's business sector, and a shared commitment to quality, makes GPA a perfect fit with Herbert Smith.

GPA has offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and its 30 lawyers work alongside Herbert Smith lawyers currently based in Saudi Arabia. These include finance partner Adil Hussain, whose presence and knowledge of the Kingdom further develops the firm's finance and corporate offering in the Middle East. Adil specialises in banking and Islamic finance and has been involved in a number of the leading Islamic financing transactions in the region. He has also advised on the structuring and development of a number of Islamic financing products.
 
Adil works out of the Riyadh office, and is leading the growth of the practice in the Kingdom's principal financial and corporate centre: an expansion that is in response to the ever-increasing demand for international energy and projects expertise across the Middle East, allied with a full-service law capability in corporate, finance and disputes work.

Our work highlights to date in Saudi Arabia include advising the Al Shoula consortium (consisting of 11 sponsor entities) on the Haramain high speed rail project in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and advising Sumitomo Chemical on the development and financing of the US$9.8 billion Rabigh refinery expansion and petrochemical project. Herbert Smith and GPA also jointly advised Investcorp Gulf Opportunity Fund on the acquisition of a majority stake in L'Azurde, the world's fourth largest gold and jewellery manufacturer headquartered in Riyadh.


Publications

To find out more about the publications we offer please view our Investment guides and country fact sheets.


Accolades 

“[The corporate] team already features a strong presence in the UAE, and its reputation is growing in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as well”
Chambers Global 2011

“The firm's expertise in Islamic finance really benefits the capital markets team and the group has acted on several sukuk offerings in the past year in jurisdictions around the GCC area”
Chambers Global 2011

Best MENA investment adviser
Private Equity World Awards MENA 2010