Herbert Smith Freehills has returned to Saudi Arabia after a gap of two years, after inking an alliance with the Riyadh law firm Law Office of Nasser Al-Hamdan and hiring partners from White & Case and DLA Piper.

The firm was in an alliance with Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association until 2013. The new office will be led by three partners, Nasser Al-Hamdan and Euan Pinkerton in Riyadh and Anthony Ellis in Dubai. Pinkerton joins from White & Case, while Ellis moves over from DLA Piper.

Corporate partner Nasser Al-Hamdan, former managing partner of the associate firm, advises on capital market transactions, M&A, private equity and investment funds in Saudi Arabia.Meanwhile, Pinkerton advises on financing and development aspects of projects, including conventional, Islamic and debt capital markets modes of financing, as well as matters of financial regulation and compliance with sharia requirements in Saudi Arabia.

"We are strongly committed to growing our leading practice in the region. Saudi Arabia is the only Arab nation belonging to the G20, has the largest projects market in the Middle East and is in the process of diversifying its economy, modernising its infrastructure and creating jobs,” said Zubair Mir, HSF’s Middle East head, in a statement.