Summary: Saudi Arabia is a G20 economy and is going through a tremendous amount of change as the Kingdom diversifies away from oil production and seeks to implement Vision 2030 and the National Transformation Programme. It is a very exciting time to be a lawyer in the Kingdom!
Clifford Chance operates in association with the Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani Law Firm (AS&H) in Saudi Arabia. AS&H has been formed by three past members of Clifford Chance's talented and widely recognised cohort of senior Saudi lawyers.
With seven partners, more than any other law firm in the Kingdom, and more than 50 permanently based Saudi and foreign lawyers and 26 business support staff, our co-operation offers Saudi and international clients the greatest depth of top Saudi and internationally qualified foreign lawyers as well as continuity and stability.
It has one of the leading Corporate groups in the region and can offer its lawyers the chance to develop their careers through advising on the pre-eminent and landmark transactions in the Middle East.
The Work: The team advises on many of the country's largest and most complex M&A transactions and high profile IPOs. Clients include public and private corporations, investment banks and financial institutions, governments and international bodies. The team has worked on most of Saudi Arabia's first-of-a-kind deals and is known for its pioneering approach.
The team works on a broad variety of matters including:
- M&A (including private equity)
- Public IPO's and private placements
- Rights issues and secondary issues
- Privatisations
- Joint ventures
- Restructurings
- Foreign investment, corporate advisory and regulatory work
Key Attractions: AS&H Law Firm (in co-operation with Clifford Chance) is the current holder of the prestigious IFLR Saudi Arabian Law Firm of the Year, and the team has won the award for all but one of the past fourteen years since the inception of this award. The team was also ranked first by Mergermarket, both in terms of M&A deal value and deal volume in Saudi Arabia for 2018 and 2019.
You will be working with the Corporate Team that includes the leading names in the Saudi legal market including Saudi and internationally qualified partners and lawyers. The team includes lawyers who have worked and qualified in the London office of "Magic Circle" firms (including Clifford Chance).
You will work on leading deals for top tier clients. The range, calibre and international scope of the deal flow is unique.
Recent deal highlights include advising:
- The Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (which is expected to become the world's largest sovereign wealth fund) on a number of high profile mandates both in Saudi Arabia and internationally.
- A number of Government ministries on privatisation mandates, implementing one of the key objectives of the Saudi “Vision 2030”;
- The merger of SABB and Al-Alawwal, two of the leading banks in Saudi Arabia;
- The acquisition of souq.com (the Middle East’s leading online retailer) by Amazon;
- Crรฉdit Agricole on the disposal of a 16.2% stake in Banque Saudi Fransi to Kingdom Holding Company;
- Aujan Industries on the sale of approximately half of the equity in its beverage business to Coca Cola (the transaction has a value of US$ 980 million); and
- General Electric on the Saudi aspects of its US$17bn acquisition of Alstom’s global power transmission business.
The sophisticated internal training programme offered is unmatched in the region and includes local monthly courses run by The Academy with the opportunity to attend training programmes across the Clifford Chance network of offices.
The team is proud of their reputation for being a very informal, supportive, and meritocratic group.
You will feel part of a well organised and structured team which forms a supportive environment in which you can learn and flourish.
The remuneration package offered is one of the most attractive in the market and earnings are currently tax-free.
Qualifications
Key Responsibilities: You will be given the chance to handle a tremendous variety of work and be involved in working closely with clients and other lawyers. This means that you will develop outstanding transactional and organisational skills as well as developing superb technical abilities. For the right individual this role presents an excellent opportunity for career progression.
Skills & Experience: We are currently seeking outstanding junior/mid-level Corporate lawyers with a minimum of 3 years experience and international experience from a similarly high profile Corporate practice.
- It is essential that you have excellent transactional experience and document drafting skills.
- You must also have exceptional results throughout your academic history.
- You should demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills and a high level of commercial awareness.
- Experience in, or exposure to, advising on Saudi Law aspects of international cross-border transactions would be advantageous.
- You should also have a genuine and demonstrable interest in, or affinity for, the Middle East.
Firms Summary: Clifford Chance is one of the world's leading law firms, helping clients achieve their goals by combining the highest global standards with local expertise. The firm has unrivalled scale and depth of legal resources across the three key markets of the Americas, Asia and Europe and focuses on the core areas of commercial activity: capital markets; Corporate and M&A; finance and banking; real estate; tax, pensions and employment; litigation and dispute resolution. Alongside world-class legal careers, Clifford Chance offers excellent opportunities in business professional functions that underpin its business operations.
Our strength comes from our teamwork and working together as a highly talented and collaborative team. Recognising and celebrating the collective effort that drive both the right outcomes for our clients and sustainable success for the firm is an essential foundation for our success. To find out more please visit www.cliffordchance.com/careers
AS&H has been formed by three past members of Clifford Chance's talented and widely recognised cohort of senior Saudi lawyers. With seven partners, more than any other law firm in the Kingdom, and more than 50 permanently based Saudi and foreign lawyers and 26 business support staff, our co-operation offers Saudi and international clients the greatest depth of top Saudi and internationally qualified foreign lawyers as well as continuity and stability.
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