King & Spalding has rehired finance lawyer Zaid Al-Farisi as partner at its Riyadh and Dubai offices from Confluent Law Group in Iraq, where he was managing partner.

King & Spalding has hired oil and gas lawyer Merrick White from Clifford Chance as a partner in its Singapore office.

Global law firm King & Spalding has advised Saudi Arabia’s Samba Financial Group on a 517 million riyal ($137.9 million) sharia-compliant acquisition financing. The facility was increased by another $53.3 million on Sept. 30.

U.S. law firm King & Spalding has advised Kuwait-based Warba Bank on the $475 million financing provided to Kuwait’s National Industries Group Holding to repay its Islamic bond, two sources confirmed to the The Brief.

International law firms King & Spalding and Allen & Overy are advising Islamic mortgage lender Tamweel on a planned $235 million asset-backed Islamic bond, or sukuk, according to a preliminary prospectus.

U.S. firm King & Spalding recently hired Mohammed Javid Shafi as counsel in its Middle East and Islamic Finance Practice Group at its Riyadh affiliate office. The law firm also recruited Simon Rahimzada as senior associate for its Abu Dhabi office. Both recruitments are part of the firm’s growth strategy in the region.

King & Spalding and Baker & McKenzie have advised on a US$27bn real estate development in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

King & Spalding, SNR Denton and Ogier have played a role in advising a benchmark yield offering from the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) – the US$750m Saudi-issued dual-listed sukuk that many hopes mark the return of GCC-originated, US-denominated sukuks.

David Lavery, an oil & gas, LNG and mining specialist based in Minter Ellison’s Perth office, has joined King & Spalding as counsel in the firm’s Abu Dhabi office. Lavery is the second energy expert to join the firm’s Abu Dhabi office this year and 15th energy addition to King & Spalding’s global practice in the past 24 months. “The energy sector continues to be of strategic importance to the firm,” King & Spalding global energy practice co-leader Philip Weems said.

King & Spalding will open its eight office outside of its US headquarters – in Singapore. The new office, which will focus on energy and international arbitration work, will be led by current global energy head Phillip Weems, who was also the firm's Dubai, Riyadh and Abudhabi managing partner from 2007 until earlier this year.