London-Based Pinsent Masons Expands With New Riyadh Law Firm
The new office marks its fourth location in the Middle East and will focus on transactional legal services.
Pinsent Masons has opened an office in Riyadh, marking its fourth location in the Middle East after Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. The new office, which began operations in the beginning of March, is led by Ibrahim Alajaji, a project finance and construction specialist who was previously a partner at Alsabhan & Alajaji.
While Pinsent Masons and Alsabhan & Alajaji will now operate independently, the firms will continue their exclusive collaboration, first established in 2018. Alsabhan & Alajaji will focus on local court matters and legislative drafting under the leadership of Naif Alsabhan, while Pinsent Masons Saudi Arabia will focus on transactional legal services.
The Riyadh office includes partners Rena Scott, who joined last year from Orrick to lead the firm’s Saudi construction advisory and disputes practice, and Tim Armsby, who heads the firm’s Middle East finance and projects division. Both Armsby and Alajaji have advised Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Privatisation, which oversees public-private partnerships and government entity privatisations.
The new structure is anticipated to allow Pinsent Masons’ to further serve clients in the Saudi market and offer opportunities for young Saudi lawyers to gain experience in high-value transactions and complex legal matters.
The move follows Saudi Arabia’s 2023 legal market reforms, which allow foreign firms to establish their own operations in the Kingdom. These changes have prompted several international law firms to enter or expand their presence in Saudi Arabia, including Clifford Chance, Latham & Watkins, and Addleshaw Goddard.
