Mayer Brown plans to launch an office in Dubai in 2016 after hiring corporate partners Charles Salem Hallab and Tahan Thraya and two associates from Baker & McKenzie.
Both partners join Mayer Brown’s corporate and securities team and specialise in advising multinational companies, governmental agencies and investment entities in the Middle East, with a focus on Gulf Cooperation Council countries including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.
Hallab, formerly chair of Baker & McKenzie’s corporate and securities practice in Washington, D.C., will continue the same role at Mayer Brown in the Middle East and will also lead its international joint venture and strategic alliance practice. Meanwhile, Thraya, who is currently based in Chicago, will head the corporate and commercial teams in the Middle East and serve as the local partner-in-charge in Dubai.
“I am very excited about enhancing Mayer Brown’s footprint and strength in the Middle East and about building on its remarkable success by further developing and defining its international joint venture and other cross-border transactional offerings with the close and client-focused collaboration of my new colleagues around the world,” said Hallab in a statement.
