It’s fair to say that no other international law firm is as established in the Saudi market as White & Case.

We’ve been active in the Kingdom for nearly seven decades, with a team on the ground since 1989, and have a long-standing and very close relationship with one of the biggest companies in the world – oil and gas giant Saudi Aramco.

Office Executive Partner Doug Peel explains: “We’re fully committed to the Saudi market and have a strong team of Saudi and expatriate lawyers on the ground here in Riyadh.

“That’s vital, because Saudi culture places a premium on establishing close personal relationships and trust. One of the other secrets of our success comes from the length of time we’ve been here, and the knowledge and relationships that builds.”

The team currently includes around 30 lawyers and four business services professionals.

Our core practices include Project Development & Finance, Corporate/M&A, Capital Markets, Disputes and, most recently, Regulatory, thanks to new partner Megren Al-Shaalan who, prior to joining us, was Senior Legal Advisor at the Royal Court in Saudi Arabia. We practice in Saudi Arabia in cooperation with the Law Office of Megren M. Al-Shaalan, in line with local regulatory requirements.

Doug says: “We’re passionate about investing and growing in the Kingdom, and particularly about our commitment to developing Saudi legal talent and the Saudi legal profession more generally.

“More than three quarters of our team is Saudi, and we’re very proud that almost half of our Saudi lawyers are women. This is true progress, particularly considering that Saudi women lawyers were first able to gain a license to practice law less than seven years ago.”

Project Development & Finance Partner Adam Pierson adds: “The fact that we’re fully integrated into the Saudi market sets us apart from our competitors, such as Latham, Clifford Chance and Allen & Overy, who can’t match our ‘One Firm’ approach, our history in the Kingdom or the depth of our client relationships.”

Saudi Aramco is by far our biggest client in the Kingdom and, from 2016 to 2019, we represented the oil and gas giant on its $29.4 billion initial public offering – the world’s largest IPO to date.

We also advised Saudi Aramco on its $69.1 billion acquisition of a 70 percent stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), one of the world’s largest chemical companies.

Doug says: “The IPO was definitely a banner achievement and included hundreds of lawyers from offices across the global White & Case network, with the Riyadh office being one of the leaders.

“What it also illustrates is the exciting work we’re doing here. Saudi Arabia is a dynamic market, with so many rewarding and diverse projects – many driven by the Saudi government’s Vision 2030, which aims to fundamentally transform Saudi society and the Saudi economy – and superb clients.

“Our work is tremendously varied – for example in late 2019, we worked for the promoters of the MDL BEAST electronic music festival, which was the first event of its kind in the Kingdom and attracted around 450,000 people over three days.

“We negotiated contracts with dozens of global and local artists and handled the media, venue and other aspects of the festival. This is just another example of how dramatically the Kingdom is changing – a festival like this would have been unimaginable just four or five years ago.”

Adam adds: “A recent highlight for me has been working on matters relating to the $50 billion Red Sea Development project, which involves the construction of around 48 luxury hotels over 22 islands (within an archipelago of 90) and other mainland sites.

“Feted as the Maldives of the Middle East, the project will be powered entirely by renewable energy, driven by smart technology and governed by an environmental framework designed to preserve one of the most pristine coral reefs in the world.

“This is one of several giga projects being promoted by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (the Saudi sovereign wealth fund) as part of the Kingdom’s 2030 Vision and is a great example of the ambitions of the country and the shift towards a more open Saudi society, which introduced its first tourist visas last year.”

“Riyadh is a perfect example of the Firm’s pioneering spirit,” adds Adam, “because, especially in such a fast changing legal, commercial and social landscape, it offers a great opportunity to develop the careers of lawyers who are adaptable, open to new experiences and entrepreneurial.”

The volume of cross-border work we do fits perfectly with the Firm’s 2020 strategy, as does our success in supporting and building high-value client relationships.

“And, on the human side, we’re a very engaged, talented and diverse office, which I’m extremely proud of,” says Doug.

The Riyadh team is also striving to build our pro bono practice in the Kingdom. As part of this, Doug will be one of many people from the Firm volunteering with European Lawyers in Lesvos, Greece, in their work to support refugees and other displaced persons in the Moria camp.

He says: “That’s just one example of the amazing pro bono opportunities we have at White & Case, allowing us to develop personally and to make a difference. Building on this kind of opportunity, we hope to develop a really strong local culture of pro bono work that will allow us to contribute even more to the Kingdom.”

“I hope we’re creating a lasting legacy, both in our contribution to the Firm and to the ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia.”

The close-knit team stays engaged through weekly lawyer lunches and monthly all-office lunches, and show off their competitive spirit on their well-used office ping pong table.