Baker & McKenzie has officially opened its Abu Dhabi office, having received a professional license from the Abu Dhabi Department of Planning & Economy. With the addition of this fourth office in the Middle East, Baker & McKenzie now has 69 offices in 39 countries.
The Firm previously announced that Baker & McKenzie Partner Borys Dackiw would become Managing Partner of the Gulf and spearhead further growth and development in the region. Dackiw was involved in the establishment of the Firm’s Kyiv and Prague offices and was the Managing Partner in Prague from 2001-2008.
“After more than three decades of experience in this region, we are delighted to expand in the United Arab Emirates, an area of growing economic and strategic importance,” said Dackiw. “We can now bring our deep understanding of the region’s unique legal, regulatory and commercial practices to provide on-the-ground world-class service to our clients in Abu Dhabi as well as to clients looking to grow their business in this dynamic region.”
The Firm has been active in the Saudi Arabia market since the mid-1970s and opened in Manama, Bahrain in 1999. The Firm’s Middle East presence also includes a long-standing office in Cairo.
Once fully staffed, the Abu Dhabi office will specialize in banking and finance (including project finance and Islamic finance), corporate and M&A, private equity, securities/capital markets, major projects (particularly in the oil and gas and infrastructure sectors), arbitration and real estate to serve its international and domestic clients.