Bahrain > Legal market overview
Leading individuals
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- Julie Alexander Baker & McKenzie Limited
- Neale Downes Trowers & Hamlins
- Clive Hopewell Charles Russell LLP
- Hassan Ali Radhi Hassan Radhi & Associates
- Harnek Shoker Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
- Ian Siddell Baker & McKenzie Limited
- Hugh Stokes Hatim S. Zu’bi & Partners
- Adrian Woodcock Norton Rose (Middle East) LLP
- Qays Zu’bi Qays H. Zu’bi, Attorneys & Legal Consultants
Like other GCC countries, Bahrain was knocked by the convergence of the ‘Arab Spring’, the bursting of the Dubai bubble, and crises in global markets.
Banking lawyers experienced an increase in restructurings and voluntary liquidation, while project finance endured a frustrating period as government projects stalled. Litigation lawyers saw growth on the advisory side, as clients looked to pre-empt problems down the line.
International firms remain barred from speaking before the courts, although several firms report an uptick in enquiries about the new Alternative Dispute Resolution Centre. Norton Rose (Middle East) LLP’s litigation team has relocated to Dubai, but intends to remain active in the jurisdiction.
The year’s extraordinary events had a severe impact on a planned slew of privatisation work which began well enough with Aluminium Bahrain’s $339m region-wide IPO. In that deal, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP – led by the ‘robust, commercial, solution-driven’ Pierre-Marie Boury – acted for the issuer, with Allen & Overy LLP and Linklaters LLP also involved on the bank side. Baker & McKenzie Limited, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Norton Rose (Middle East) LLP and Trowers & Hamlins remain the major international firms in the jurisdiction.
On the local level, the landscape is expected to shift with the anticipated merger between domestic heavy-hitters Hatim S. Zu’bi & Partners and Qays H. Zu’bi, Attorneys & Legal Consultants.