Curtis Mallet-Prevost opens in Dubai
New York firm Curtis Mallet-Prevost Colt & Mosle is the latest international firm to open in the United Arab Emirates through the launch of an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Peter Stewart, corporate partner and co-chair of the firm's private equity practice, will serve as managing partner for the Dubai office. Corporate partner and head of Curtis London Charles Buderi will divide his time between Dubai and London. The firm will also relocate further lawyers from other offices to Dubai.
Curtis Dubai will cover mergers and acquisitions, private equity, project development, tourism and hospitality projects, energy and commodities, sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds, and dispute resolution in the DIFC.
This is the firm's second office in the Middle East after its Muscat base, which opened in 1997 and focuses on infrastructure, project finance and privatisation.
New international offices for Curtis include those in Almaty, Astana and Istanbul. It also recently established a strategic alliance with Argentine firm Fernandez Quiroga Ayarragary & Ocampo and expanded its Frankfurt, Oman and London offices.
As reported in The Lawyer (6 August 2008) the firm recently revamped its management strategy to take account of its international expansion.
Former managing partner George Kahale became firmwide chairman, while partners Joseph Pizzurro and Matias Vega have been named joint managing partners.
Pizzurro and Vega have responsibility for running the administrative operations of the firm while Kahale focuses on firmwide policy, strategic planning and firm expansion.
