10/31/2011
Covington Expands Global Reach Through Strategic Alliance With Institution Quraysh
11/12/2008
WASHINGTON, DC, November 12, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP today announced a strategic alliance with Institution Quraysh for Law & Policy that will expand and strengthen the legal services both firms provide to clients operating in and from the Middle East region.
“Covington has long recognized the growing importance of providing high quality legal services in and to the Middle East region. For more than a decade, our international practice has been handling matters from the region and deepening existing relationships while cultivating new ones,” said Timothy Hester, chair of Covington’s management committee. “This alliance with Institution Quraysh will allow us to adopt a more coordinated approach to expanding our work in the region and to meeting client needs in and from the Middle East.”
Traditionally, Covington’s work in the Middle East has focused on the firm’s regulatory strengths. In recent years, this has included the CFIUS and financial institutions practices as well as a number of different elements of the export controls practice.
Institution Quraysh, based in Qatar with offices in London and Saudi Arabia, is headed by Malik Dahlan, who was educated as a lawyer in Jordan, the US and Egypt, and holds a master’s degree and an LL.M. from Harvard. Mr. Dahlan is admitted to the bar in Qatar, which permits him to practice in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. He is named a Regional Expert (Oil and Gas), one of 10 international experts selected by the UN Mission in Iraq as part of its post-war reconstruction effort with a focus on facilitating reconciliation in Iraq through Constitutional Review and National Dialogue. Covington is currently working with Mr. Dahlan to develop a US regulatory overview for Middle East regional clients interested in making investments in the US banking and financial services industry.
“I am very pleased to be collaborating with Covington, a firm well-regarded for its deep expertise and experience in a broad range of practices,” said Mr. Dahlan. “Covington’s renowned strength in regulatory practices, particularly in banking and telecommunications, will be of tremendous value to clients in the Middle East wishing to explore and conduct outbound investments in the US, Europe, and China.”
Established to provide solid legal services, and highly focused information analysis and strategies regarding key sectors within the Middle East economy, Quraysh focuses on supporting projects and decision makers in the region by offering an unparalleled grasp of the region's laws, politics, culture and economy. Quraysh benefits from a number of partnerships and joint ventures with more than 50 years of combined experience working with clients in the Middle East.
Covington’s new alliance with Institution Quraysh is a continuation of the firm’s expanding global reach. In July, Covington opened an office in Beijing.
Covington & Burling