Firms vie for spots as HSBC tees up Gulf panel review
HSBC is preparing to launch a review of its Middle East panel of external legal advisers, with firms due to pitch for the highly coveted places in September.
Firms already on the regional panel include Eversheds and Trowers & Hamlins, while international firms tipped to be pitching include King & Spalding, Latham & Watkins and White & Case.
A partner at an international firm in the Middle East said: “HSBC is the leading project finance advisory bank in the region. If you’re doing project finance you’ve got to have a relationship with it, so it’s a really important review process.
“All the big firms in the region will either already be on the panel or hoping to get on it.”
He expected the legal roster, once reviewed, to act alongside HSBC as advisers on project finance, corporate finance, private equity, general finance work, M&A and privatisation work in the region.
The bank’s global advisory panel includes Allen & Overy, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Linklaters and Norton Rose.
Readers' comments (2)
Anonymous | 11-Jul-2011 10:28 am
Trowers & Hamlins?
What on earth do they bring to the table?
Most of their Gulf offices are disintegrating.
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The Septic Skeptic | 11-Jul-2011 11:03 am
I think Trowers do the residential housing for HSBC executives coming to the Gulf.
I can't see them being able to anything else, except perhaps advise on how to make staff redundant.
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