Baker McKenzie Wins At Legal Week Middle East Awards During These Unprecedented Times
Global law firm Baker McKenzie has won three awards at theMiddle East Legal Awards 2020 hostedby industry leading media group LegalWeekon 5 November 2020.
During these unprecedented times of market disruption brought by the COVID-19 pandemic and other geopolitical developments, the firm continues to cement its leading position in the legal industry, having won: “Arbitration Team of the Year” and “Real Estate Team of the Year”for the first time, and “Corporate Team of the Year” for the second year running. The firm was also shortlisted for “Banking, Finance and Restructuring Team of the Year”.
Although this year’s awards ceremony has been cancelled due to the pandemic, the annual awards continue to be recognized as the region’s premier legal awards, celebrating the excellence, outstanding achievements and innovation within the legal profession in the Middle East.
Andrew Mackenzie, Partner and Head of the International Arbitration, Construction and Offshore Litigation practice at Baker McKenzie Habib Al Mulla based in Dubai, commented: “We are thrilled to be recognised as the “Arbitration Team of the Year” at the Legal Week Middle East Awards 2020. The team has gone from strength to strength over the last three years, winning appointments on the largest and most complex disputes across the MENA region. Amid the current crisis, the Firm remains a lighthouse for the global and regional elite, helpingthem remain resilient in the face of the current economic storm. Our thanks to our clients for the continued trust and confidence they place in us to resolve their complex multi-jurisdictional disputes across the Middle East and globally.”
Robert Eastwood, Partner in the Corporate & Securities practice at Legal Advisors, AbdulazizAlAjlan& Partnersbased in Riyadh, added:“Winning the Middle East Legal Awards “Corporate Team of the Year” for the second consecutive year is a testament to the strength of our firm’s global and local transactional practices, as we continue to excel in cross-border deal-making in the region. The Arabian Centres’ IPO – the first fully international equity offering by a Saudi issuer – is a great example of how we assist clients in finding novel solutions to boost liquidity and stabilize operations particularly during these times of economic uncertainty. On behalf of the Legal Advisors team, I would like to thank our Gulf and London colleagues for their commitment and collaboration in this groundbreakingtransaction.”
“The real estate and construction market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and in the Middle East generally, remains optimistic and booming despite the economic slowdown brought about by the pandemic, with a multitude of residential and commercial mega projects in the pipeline”, concluded Bilal Ambikapathy, Partner and Head of the Real Estate and Hospitality practice of Baker McKenzie based in Bahrain.“The establishment of and continued investments through the USD3.2 billion Makkah Real Estate Development Fundvalidate this commitment to the Middle East real estate sector as well as our own commitment to support our clients in securing long-term high value assets and building sustainable infrastructure particularly as we enter thisperiod of recovery and renewal. It is an honor to have won the Middle East Legal Awards “Real Estate Team of the Year” and we thank Legal Week, the distinguished panel of judges and our peers for this outstanding market recognition.”
For over three decades, Baker McKenzie hashelped businesses optimize opportunities and mitigate risk in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Our multidisciplinary MENA team of more than 30 partners and 130 senior associates, operates as an integrated team and along with colleagues from Baker McKenzie offices worldwide, offerslocal expertise across a wide range of areas of law coupled with internationalbest practices and standards.
