International law firm K&L Gates named former Clifford Chance senior associate Andrew Johnston as corporate practice partner at its Dubai office. Johnston will focus on cross border mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and general corporate and commercial issues across the Middle East and North Africa.

“We are delighted to have attracted an individual of Andrew’s calibre to our Middle East team,” said Neal R. Brendel, founding co-partner of K&L Gates’ Dubai office. “With a number of years [of] experience in the region, Andrew further enhances our ability to advise clients on sophisticated corporate transactions in the Middle East.”

Among his recent transactions at Clifford Chance, Johnston helped advise Carlyle Group, the U.S.-based global asset management firm, on the completion of its near 42 percent investment in Alamar Foods last December. Alamar Foods is the franchise operator of Domino's Pizza and Wendy's hamburgers in the Middle East, and is owned by Saudi Arabia's Al Jammaz family.

K&L Gates opened its Dubai office in 2009, and expanded within the region with a Doha branch which opened in September last year. ALB

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