Shearman & Sterling has opened its second office in the UAE after launching in Dubai. The firm has been in Abu Dhabi for 40 years now, and also has a presence in Saudi Arabia.

The new office, located in the Dubai International Financial Centre, will be led by the firm’s Middle East managing partner Marwan Elaraby. “With continued infrastructure spending, private capital flows, capital markets transactions and disputes work, we see continued opportunities in the region for us to grow,” said Elaraby in a statement.

In the Middle East, Shearman & Sterling advises on sharia-compliant financing, M&A, project development and finance, banking and finance, financial institutions advisory & financial regulatory, capital markets, private equity and international arbitration.

In Saudi Arabia, the firm has an alliance with Abdulaziz Alassaf & Partners, a 16-lawyer local outfit.