Eversheds ups Middle East focus with KSLG merger
Eversheds has merged with Middle East law consortium KSLG, trebling its size in the region.
Bryan Hughes
The merger, which goes live today (25 May), gifts Eversheds seven new partners and 30 fee-earners, as well as offices in Amman, Baghdad, Dubai and Riyadh. Eversheds already has its own offices in Abu Dhabi and Doha.
All the offices, except Riyadh, will be fully integrated into Eversheds’ LLP, but will be called Eversheds KSLG pending completion of the licensing arrangement.
Riyadh will operate as an associated office, due to regulatory restrictions.
KSLG is a consortium of full-service law firms, comprising: Dhabaan & Partners in Saudi Arabia; Khasawneh & Associates in the UAE; and Sanad Law Group in Jordan and Iraq.
As a result of the merger, Eversheds has called time on its existing alliance with Saudi firm Hani Qurashi Law Firm, which has offices in Jeddah and Riyadh.
According to Eversheds’ Middle East managing partner Christopher Jobson the merger will give the firm a boost across a range of practices, particularly regulatory work and policy reform, as well as a better relationship with in-house counsel across the region.
“We’ve known and worked with these guys for many years, and this has been built up over a significant period of time” said Jobson. “They’re quality lawyers giving quality service in a part of the world where you can’t always guarantee that.
“Clients are saying to us that they need wider coverage in the region. We’re all conscious of the dynamics in the region at the moment, but the Middle East is still a very important legal market and one that we can’t ignore.”
In a statement the firm’s chief executive Bryan Hughes said: “We’ve been looking to establish a region-wide offering for some time and, importantly, with a firm that’s totally aligned to our ambitions and values.
“KSLG’s strong domestic reputation and local knowledge will strengthen Eversheds’ international offering and will create a progressive corporate legal practice in the Middle East with a strong platform for growth.”
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Readers' comments (8)
Anonymous | 25-May-2011 9:40 am
Is this strategic thinking from Eversheds?
Remarkable, but seemingly true and well planned.
Where is next on their hit list I wonder? Is it the big American jump...?
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Anonymous | 25-May-2011 4:00 pm
Great news for the legal industry in the ME. Unprecedented and brave step from Eversheds to trust in, and take a big risk in the Middle East with all that is going on right now. Certainly the American jump makes sense now.
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Anonymous | 26-May-2011 10:56 am
Great coup by Eversheds. They have merged with a well respected Middle East outfit that many of the other international law firms courted but were unable to secure!!
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xnllb | 26-May-2011 12:39 pm
Congratulations to Eversheds.
I await the article on their now-inevitable merger with an american firm with baited breath.
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Anonymous | 26-May-2011 2:47 pm
My money is on a firm like Fried Frank whose non-US enterprises do not match the productivity of their US offices in the way that Mayor Brown or Kirkland might be able to claim. Good for Eversheds because the Fried Frank London office is not all that big (esp. in litigation / property etc) and Eversheds would then get their stellar US clients and would then potentially be able to claim a kind of Silver Circle or Magic Circle type status. Some of these US firms' offices in London don’t really do much so if Eversheds or SJBerwin are on the look out for a merger then I would imagine the US firms would jump at it.
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James Henry | 26-May-2011 2:54 pm
The anonymous posters above are slightly dubious...
By all means Eversheds should be congratulated on taking a bold step, it should work out well for them, however the suggestion that they have pulled the prom queen is rather wide of the mark...
As a recruiter whom has seen the CVs of several of the KSLG lawyers I can comfortably say that they are nothing special!!
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Anonymous | 26-May-2011 3:09 pm
Congratulations to Eversheds for its social media policy of posting positive comments on its own story. Maybe try and be a little more subtle next time guys and girls??
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Anonymous | 16-Nov-2012 10:01 am
I love Eversheds
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