Legal Marketing & PR

Dubai?s Legal Jobs Nirvana - Is It Really The New York Of The East?

By lawjobspipeline

The New York Times ran a piece yesterday on Dubai’s legal jobs heaven - the major law firms like Latham & Watkins pushing into Dubai, described by LW attorney William H. Voge as the “Silicon Valley of the world”.  Big claim.  But there again, there’s big money in them there sandhills.  Clifford Chance have been out there since 1975 and they’ve been followed by firms like Freshfields, Allen & Overy, and others.

Latham & Watkins has come off a banner year, taking over $2 billion in gross revenues last year, which has largely been driven by its international activities. It also acts for the Qatar Investment Authority.

As The Times reports:

About 20 percent of Latham?s business comes from its finance practice, and Latham interviewed 14 financial institution clients, among them Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, before making the plunge in the Middle East.

?They all view the gulf region as becoming an increasing player in the global economy,? Voge said.

We interviewed kiwi lawyer Steven Henderson at LawFuel who head Clifford Chance’s Dubai property practice. 

Henderson’s been in Dubai for nearly two years and handles major real estate deals, enjoying the challenges of dealing with seven Emirates in the UAE, each with their own legal challenges and laws. 

?The real estate team advise on all aspects of the “property life cycle” from acquisition, property/project finance, development, and construction through to disposal. We are acting for many of the large government developers who are undertaking “mega projects” here in Dubai (and now elsewhere in the world),? says Henderson.