Global law firm Taylor Wessing has appointed former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner Tahir Ahmed as a partner at its corporate finance group in Dubai. The latest addition brings the number of partners at Taylor Wessing’s Dubai office to six.

Dubai-based Qualitest FZE has won a court judgment that resulted in the company being removed from the European Union’s Iran Sanctions Regulation list – a listing that resulted in financial sanctions on Qualitest, including an asset freeze. International law firm Hogan Lovells represented Qualitest in the court battle.

International law firm Latham & Watkins has advised the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB), the emirate’s largest sharia-compliant lender, on its first Basel III-compliant Islamic bond issuance, worth $1 billion.

International law firms Norton Rose and Clifford Chance have served as advisers on First Gulf Bank’s (FGB) $900 million syndicated facility, the largest loan market transaction undertaken by a financial institution in the United Arab Emirates this year.

International law firm K&L Gates has advised Mazaya Qatar Real Estate Development QSC on a dual-currency $106.7 million, eight-year syndicated Islamic finance facility to fund the development of the Sidra Village residential project.

International law firm Ashurst has broadened its presence in the Middle East with the launch of an office in Jeddah in association with Saudi Arabian partner Faisal Adnan Baassiri.

International firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle has appointed Taimur Malik, the former Middle East head of legal at metals and mining company Vale, as counsel at its Muscat office.

Global law firm Hogan Lovells’ Dubai office has gained a dispute resolution partner, with the relocation of Richard Kiddell from the firm’s London office.

Global law firm DLA Piper has advised Basra International Oil & Gas Hub (BIOGH) on its joint venture with the Iraqi Free Zone Authority to create a specialised oil and gas free zone.

International law firm Simmons & Simmons has advised engineering and project management company, RWE Technology, on its joint venture with the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) to develop an energy consulting company in the region.