Al Tamimi & Company, the largest law firm in the Middle East, has announced the promotion of seven new partners, the most promotions in any one round in the history of the firm.

The firm has roped in two new partners for Saudi Arabia, thus supporting its growth strategy in Saudi Arabia. Also the leading legal company in the region saw the first Korean lawyer joining the partnership. This latest development takes the total number of partners at the firm to 65.

Bandar Al Hamidani (Corporate, Saudi Arabia), Emad Salameh (Litigation, Saudi Arabia), Fady Ghanem (Corporate Structuring, Dubai), Jongeun [Christina] Lee (Korea Group, Abu Dhabi), Mohammad Al Muhtaseb (Litigation, Dubai), Richard Catling (Corporate, Dubai), and Sherif Rahman (Corporate Structuring, Dubai) will all join the partnership effective July 1.

Al Hamidani, a Saudi national, joined the firm in 2010 drawing on his experience from a company in Australia. He is a corporate lawyer with a strong background in dispute resolution and is licensed to appear in front of the Saudi courts.

Most recently, he has also developed a sports and events management practice across the kingdom and represents a number of Saudi sports clubs and Saudi sporting bodies.

Salameh is a key member of the litigation and legislative drafting team. He joined the firm in 2015 and is based in the firm’s Riyadh office.

Emad has been practicing law in Saudi Arabia since 2007 following a move from his home country of Jordan. He has represented clients in commercial and construction litigation and assisted clients in drafting contracts and agreements and establishing new legal entities.

Ghanem is part of the firm’s corporate structuring team and, since joining the company in 2013, has developed a market-leading food and beverage practice.

His practice covers both the public and private sectors and includes the constitution of various investment structures, as well as drafting and negotiating relevant contracts, by-laws and articles of association, due diligence and shareholder agreements.

Ghanem has worked as a collaborator with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in carrying out significant legal investigations and research for their annual "Doing Business" reports.

Lee joined the firm in 2012 to establish one of the first dedicated Korea Country Groups of any law firm in the region. Shea advises a wide range of Korean companies on contentious and non-contentious matters in the Middle East.

Since Lee began leading the firm’s Korea Group, which now includes seven dedicated members, she has acted as a mediator for key Korean companies doing business in the region and has been involved in many significant settlement negotiations related to major Korean projects.

Al Muhtaseb joined the firm in 2010 and specialises in litigation and dispute resolution. He joined Al Tamimi as a banking lawyer however his experience in the field of dispute resolution quickly saw him become a very valuable member of the litigation team where he has advised some of the firm’s major clients on various aspects of UAE law and court proceedings. His practice now sees him leading high-level cross-border litigation matters.

Catling is a corporate lawyer at the firm, having joined in 2011. He is experienced in many aspects of corporate work including domestic and international mergers and acquisitions in various industries, including health care, education, logistics, food & beverage and retail.

He also specialises in regional private equity and venture capital funding, with particular expertise in advising on investments in technology and media.

In addition to this, Catling also advises regional high net worth individuals and family businesses on family business restructuring matters and, in particular, trust structuring. He acts for some of the largest family companies in the Middle East on their deal and governance structures.

Rahman is a corporate structuring lawyer based in Dubai. Since joining Al Tamimi in 2008, he has been involved in many sophisticated corporate structuring and restructuring deals in the UAE and wider Middle East.

He is a core member of the firm’s team that advises investors and private equity firms on restructuring group companies for investment and private placement.

Rahman’s work spans a number of key sectors, including aviation, healthcare and education.

Commenting on the promotions, Al Tamimi & Company’s managing partner, Husam Hourani, said: "We will continue to lead the way in the Middle East with our offering of sophisticated and strategic legal services."

"The promotion of these very talented lawyers not only strengthens our position in key areas, but also supports our strategy for growth in key markets, like Saudi Arabia, and internationally, for organisations seeking to do business in the Middle East," he added.-TradeArabia News Service