Leading law firm Baker & McKenzie has opened an office in Doha, expanding its three-decade-long presence in the Mena region with its fifth office.

The Qatar office will become the firm’s 69th location worldwide, specialising in banking & finance (including Islamic and project finance), energy & infrastructure, corporate and M&A, real estate & hospitality, construction and dispute resolution to serve both international and domestic clients.

Baker & McKenzie has been active in the Mena region since the mid-1970s, opening its Riyadh office in 1980, Cairo in 1985, Bahrain in 1998 and most recently in Abu Dhabi in 2009.

“The establishment of a Qatar office is an important and logical step for us,” said Eduardo Leite, Baker & McKenzie’s chairman of the executive committee.

“We have been actively servicing clients in Qatar for many years, and our new office will enable us to provide on-the-ground support in this increasingly important business and financial market,” added Koen Vanhaerents, European chairman and member of the firm’s executive committee.-TradeArabia News Service