Shearman & Sterling LLP > Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates > Firm Profile
Shearman & Sterling LLP Offices
ETIHAD TOWERS, OFFICE TOWER 3
21ST FLOOR, CORNICHE ROAD, PO BOX 2948
ABU DHABI
United Arab Emirates
Shearman & Sterling LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
United Arab Emirates > Oil, gas and natural resources Tier 1
Shearman & Sterling LLP has an experienced financings and energy and infrastructure M&A practice. Since publication, Renad Younes and Dan Feldman left the firm.Other key lawyers:
Iain Elder
Testimonials
‘Shearman & Sterling have been very proactive in supporting us with our diversity and UAE national development initiatives, such as through hosting internships for young UAE national scholars and offering training contracts. Such initiatives are extremely important for us as a client and supports the development of our local talent.’
Key clients
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
NEOM Company
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc (ICE)
The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur)
The Dow Chemical Company
Bahrain Petroleum Company
SACE S.p.A.
Emirates Global Aluminium
The Royal Commission for Al-Ula
Masdar
Mubadala
Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
Chevron Saudi Arabia
Export-Import Bank of Korea (K-EXIM)
United Arab Emirates > Commercial, corporate and M&A Tier 3
Shearman & Sterling LLP is a go-to firm for issues involving minority investments, joint venture formations and acquisitions of controlling stakes or whole businesses. Since publication, Marwan Elaraby and Renad Younes left the firm.Key clients
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company
NEOM Company
The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur)
Gulf Petrochemical Industries Co. (GPIC)
The Dow Chemical Company
Investcorp
Chevron
Mubadala
Mitsui & Co., Ltd
United Arab Emirates > Construction Tier 3
Shearman & Sterling LLP advises on a broad range of government-related construction mandates and has expertise in oil and gas facilities across the energy value chain. Alex Bevan heads the firm’s global international arbitration practice. Since publication, Dan Feldman left the firm.Practice head(s):
Alex Bevan
Key clients
Obrascon Huarte Lain
Orascom Construction / Contrack (Cyprus) Ltd.
Qatar Building Company
Samsung C&T Corporation
ENKA İnşaat ve Sanayi A.Ş.
Abu Dhabi Global Market
Work highlights
- Representing OHL Internacional and Contrack (Cyprus) Ltd as Respondents in an ICC arbitration in London initiated by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development concerning the development of a world-class medical facility in the Middle East, subject to Qatari law.
- Representing an international joint venture in an ICC arbitration against Qatari Railways Company (QRC) arising from the termination of a contract, governed by Qatari law, for the design & build of two of Doha Metro’s flagship stations.
United Arab Emirates > Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation Tier 3
Shearman & Sterling LLP has a 'strong team' that focuses on oil and gas, aviation, telecoms and construction disputes. Abu Dhabi-based managing partner Alex Bevan has an extensive international arbitration background. David Hume and Alexander Nordang were promoted to counsel in 2021.Practice head(s):
Alex Bevan
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Strong team with region-specific capability. Stellar turnaround time.’
‘Alex Bevan – knows the region, understands our Company and guides on strategy.’
‘David Hume – smart, eloquent and very strong on explaining concepts.’
‘They are always thinking creatively and suggesting solutions that are perfect for the particular issue.’
‘IF they are pressured, they never show it, they always have time, and they are creative thinkers.’
‘Alex Bevan is a standout individual. He is a mature and persuasive advocate.’
‘Solid understanding of the local market dynamics in the oil and gas sector.‘
‘Team led by Alex Bevan are considered strategic partners with a solid understanding of parties interests in high-value complex EPC claims. Proven agility in their responsiveness and factoring global/local market conditions in their advice.‘
Key clients
ENKA İnşaat ve Sanayi A.Ş.
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)
Work highlights
- Representing Turkish contractor ENKA Insaat ve Sanayi AŞ in an ICC arbitration in London against certain entities within US insurance group Chubb.
- Developing the framework and resources for ADGM to become a leading arbitral jurisdiction.
United Arab Emirates > Infrastructure and projects (including project finance) Tier 4
Shearman & Sterling LLP has a ‘solid project financing team‘ and is ‘well regarded‘ in the Middle East for energy and infrastructure work. Iain Elder acts for key sponsors and lenders in the region. Since publication, Dan Feldman and Renad Younes left the firm.Practice head(s):
Iain Elder
Testimonials
‘Shearman & Sterling have a well regarded, solid project financing team, especially in the Middle East where you get the sense that they have made a real effort to grow the practice group and presence on the ground.’
Key clients
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC)
NEOM Company
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc (ICE)
The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur)
The Dow Chemical Company
Bahrain Petroleum Company
SACE S.p.A.
Emirates Global Aluminium
The Royal Commission for Al-Ula
Masdar
Mubadala
Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank
Chevron Saudi Arabia
Export-Import Bank of Korea (K-EXIM)
United Arab Emirates > Banking and finance: Corporate finance (including Islamic lending) Tier 5
Shearman & Sterling LLP has a full-service finance practice with a global presence, covering a range of areas including project finance, acquisition finance, ECA financings, restructuring and Shariah compliant financing. Philip Stopford and Abu Dhabi-based Laleh Shahabi co-head the UAE banking and finance practice. Shahabi was promoted to partner in July 2021 and has expertise in project finance and development transactions.Practice head(s):
Philip Stopford; Laleh Shahabi
Other key lawyers:
Claire Hunter
Key clients
Mubadala Capital
Saudi Arabia > Commercial, corporate and M&A
Shearman & Sterling in association with the Law Firm of Dr. Sultan Almasoud maintains a busy practice handling high-value transactions and project mandates for a host of leading regional clients including NEOM. The team, led by Sultan Almasoud has been strengthened on the private equity, public and private M&A front with the arrival of Mohsin Suleman who joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. In Abu Dhabi, Renad Younes is the regional partner in the Middle East and is a key contact for international mergers and project financing deals. The group leverages its teams in London, Dubai, and Singapore to handle complex cross-border mandates.Practice head(s):
Sultan Almasoud; Mohsin Suleman
Other key lawyers:
Renad Younes
Testimonials
‘We work with Mohsin Suleman (Partner) and his team. Their strength is their efficient and comprehensive responses to questions raised.’
‘Mohsin Suleman (Partner) has been an excellent legal advisor to us – providing comprehensive, clear feedback as well as practical solutions. As an added bonus, the turn around times are reliable and incredidbly fast.’
‘They are committed, organized, timely completion of tasks with a clear quality.’
Key clients
Jabal Omar Development Company
Bin Dayel Group
NOMW Capital
Alsalam Aerospace Industries Company
Five Capital Partners
The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company (Dussur)
The National Unified Procurement Company
Saudi Investment Recycling Company
NEOM Company
Jabal Omar Development Company
Bin Dayel Group
Work highlights
- Advised Dussur as part of an international private equity consortium consisting of BroadPeak Global LP and Asia Green Fund on the purchase of the Clean Technologies business of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. for $510m in cash.
- Advising NEOM Company on all aspects of its $5bn world-scale green hydrogen and green ammonia production facility.
- Advising Saudi Arabian Chevron on the largest upstream unitized Wafra field between Saudi and Kuwait.
Saudi Arabia > Projects and energy
Shearman & Sterling LLP > Firm Profile
The firm: Shearman & Sterling has a longstanding presence in the Middle East. Its Abu Dhabi office was established in 1975 after more than a decade of advising clients in the region. The office started as a base from which to serve a handful of clients in the oil and gas sector, but quickly developed into a busy centre of project activity for the firm.
Areas of practice: Clients come to Shearman & Sterling for its market-leading experience in the oil and gas, power and infrastructure sectors. The firm providesfirst-rate services in project development and finance, banking and finance, corporate, mergers and acquisitions, construction and dispute resolution. The firm can also advise on the entire spectrum of private equity and capital market transactions. It advises on major international arbitrations, foreign-based investment transactions, and counsels clients seeking to do business in the Middle East and local clients seeking to make investments around and outside the region.
Renowned as pioneers in the field of Islamic (Shari’ah-compliant) financing, Shearman & Sterling has advised on cutting-edge transactions such as the first power project in the Middle East that included financing from Islamic banks and the largest-ever oil and gas Islamic financing. The firm has especially been at the forefront of advising on the development of Shari’ah-compliant project financings; in particular, in relation to non-recourse Shari’ah finance structures used to finance major infrastructure projects in the GCC.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project development and finance, Corporate and M&A | Renad Younes | ||
| Project development and finance | Dan Feldman | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Matthew Powell | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Marwan Elaraby | ||
| Mergers and acquisitions | Rodney Cannon | ||
| Banking and finance | Iain Goalen | ||
| International arbitration | Alex Bevan | ||
| Capital markets | Marwan Elaraby | ||
| Private equity | Matthew Powell | ||
| Private equity | Marwan Elaraby | ||
| Private equity | Rodney Cannon |
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Alex Bevan | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr Dan Feldman | Partner | View Profile |
 | Mr David Hume | Counsel | View Profile |
 | Mr Samuel Ogunlaja | Counsel | View Profile |
 | Ms Natalya Pilbeam | Counsel | View Profile |
 | Ms Laleh Shahabi | Partner | View Profile |
 | Ms Renad Younes | Renad Younes is the firm’s Global Head of Finance, Regional Managing Partner… | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 850 at this office : 26Languages
Arabic English FrenchMemberships
AmCham Abu DhabiOther
Other offices : Beijing Other offices : Brussels Other offices : Dubai Other offices : Frankfurt Other offices : Hong Kong Other offices : London Other offices : Menlo Park Other offices : Milan Other offices : New York Other offices : Paris Other offices : Riyadh Other offices : Rome Other offices : San Francisco Other offices : São Paulo Other offices : Shanghai Other offices : Singapore Other offices : Tokyo Other offices : Toronto Other offices : Washington DCLegal Briefings
The UK financial restructuring market
The last two years have seen significant developments and unexpected turns in the financial restructuring market. The impact of the Covid pandemic precipitated an immediate and significant uptick in the level of corporates facing underperformance and distress, only to be followed in 2021 by an incredibly ‘hot’ financing market and significant drop-off in corporate default …
- Oil, gas and natural resources
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Construction
- Dispute resolution: arbitration and international litigation
Firm Rankings
- Saudi Arabia > Commercial, corporate and M&A