Reed Smith has hired Maher Al Mannaee as a partner in its corporate practice in Abu Dhabi. Al Mannaee previously worked at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) as legal counsel, and was with Standard Chartered Bank in both Singapore and Dubai before that.

Al Mannaee, an Emirati national, has experience in public and private cross-border mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments and financings, due diligence and special projects in the United Arab Emirates.

"We're seeing increasing corporate activity across the markets in which we operate and we've been growing in response to that client demand. It's an exciting time for us in the UAE, especially following our recent celebration of 35 years in the region,” said Vince Gordon, partner and head of Reed Smith's Middle East offices, in a statement. “Our clients need for corporate advice is on the up and Maher's arrival ensures we are now in an even stronger position to support these requirements. We are additionally proud to continue our Emiratisation efforts.”

Reed Smith recently opened its Kazakhstan office, hiring Vladimir Schuster and Arman Tastanbekov for that purpose.

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