King & Spalding Merges With Saudi Firm Al Fahad & Partners
King & Spalding Merges With Saudi Firm Al Fahad & Partners
King & Spalding, has announced its merger with Abdulaziz H Al Fahad & Partners Lawyers (Al Fahad & Partners), a leading Saudi Arabian law firm, significantly expanding its footprint in the Kingdom. The combination, effective in March 2024, will bring together 26 fee earners, including 7 partners, and will operate under the name King & Spalding Al Fahad.
The merger strengthens King & Spalding’s position in Saudi Arabia, a region where the firm has been active for over a decade. With this merger, the US firm gains 17 fee earners in Riyadh, including Abdulaziz Al Fahad, Founder and Managing Partner of Al Fahad & Partners, and three other Partners: Fahad Alarfaj, Ibrahim Alkhudair, and Phil Loynes, an English-qualified lawyer.
Fahad Alarfaj will assume the role of managing partner of the combined office, while Abdulaziz Al Fahad will serve as chairman of King & Spalding’s Saudi Arabia practice. The newly expanded office will focus on a wide range of legal areas, including corporate law, finance, energy, real estate, Islamic finance, funds, construction projects, M&A, and dispute resolution.
Chairman Robert Hays expressed his enthusiasm for the merger, noting the long-standing relationship between King & Spalding and Al Fahad & Partners. He emphasized that the combination of King & Spalding’s global reach and Al Fahad & Partners’ local expertise offers a differentiated service to clients in the Kingdom, saying, “Our clients have told us that the combination of King & Spalding’s international experience and global footprint and Al Fahad & Partners’ Saudi experience creates a differentiated offering for them in the Kingdom.”
Founded in 1985, Al Fahad & Partners has a strong reputation in litigation and arbitration and brings expertise in capital markets, corporate law, regulatory matters, and real estate. The merger comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking toward international investments, with the demand for integrated local and international legal services growing rapidly.
Abdulaziz Al Fahad commented on the merger, saying, “As Saudi Arabia looks increasingly towards international investments, the requirement for integrated local and international legal skills is a must for any law firm wanting to succeed in the region. Joining forces with King & Spalding is a perfect fit for us and our clients as we look ahead to a new era for Saudi Arabia.”
King & Spalding, which has been active in Saudi Arabia since 2007 through its affiliation with the Law Offices of Mohammed AlAmmar, received its foreign law licence from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Justice in 2023, further solidifying its position in the region. In July 2024, Haifa Bahaian, the former Chief Legal Officer of the Saudi Venture Capital Company (SVC), joined the firm’s real estate and funds practice in Riyadh as a partner.
With the merger, King & Spalding Al Fahad is poised to offer a comprehensive legal service platform in Saudi Arabia, combining the global expertise of King & Spalding with the deep local knowledge of Al Fahad & Partners.
