Middle East

Skadden has a long and distinguished track record of advising on some of the most complex matters in the Middle East, representing both regional clients and international businesses operating from and within the area.

Our work in the region encompasses cross-border M&A and joint ventures, financings, litigation and arbitration matters, and white collar defense and investigations. We draw on the firm’s extensive transactional, disputes and regulatory experience across our global footprint to deliver the best outcomes for clients, which include prominent corporations, financial sponsors, government-owned institutions, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and high-net-worth individuals.

The firm’s Middle East experience spans numerous industries, including energy and natural resources, financial services, infrastructure, media, real estate, technology and telecommunications. Our team is also well-versed in the region’s commercial, regulatory, political and cultural dynamics.

Comprehensive Legal Services

Mergers and Acquisitions: Skadden is globally recognized for our leading M&A practice, and our history of acting as a strategic partner to multinational businesses and investors engaged in both public and private deals. We have extensive experience representing Middle East-based companies, private equity firms and financial sponsors, investment banks, government entities and other institutions and individuals in almost every type of outbound or cross-border M&A transaction; this includes investments by sovereign wealth funds and other Middle Eastern entities. Attorneys in our regulatory practices are engaged in structuring and negotiating transactions to anticipate and address regulatory concerns, including those regarding CFIUS issues.

Financings: Skadden represents underwriters and issuers in a comprehensive range of public and private financings, including all types and combinations of debt and equity instruments. We have advised several governments in the Middle East on innovative debt issuances and investments outside the region, and have acted as underwriter/bank counsel on significant sovereign financings. Our experience extends to energy and infrastructure projects, where we provide holistic support in the areas of banking and finance as well as with related development, construction, regulatory, environmental, real estate and litigation issues.

Litigation and Arbitration: Recognized as a go-to firm for clients’ most critical litigation and arbitration matters, Skadden has represented global companies, international investors and their advisers as international counsel on some of the most significant and high-profile cases in the Middle East, securing landmark decisions. We have managed multijurisdictional disputes and handled matters before every major arbitral institution, spanning both commercial and investor-state proceedings. The firm has acted for and against numerous states, which gives us unique insights on strategies regarding claims of expropriation and unfair treatment under international treaties, such as bilateral investment treaties (BITs).

White Collar Defense and Investigations: Our internationally recognized team represents corporations, boards, management and individuals in government investigations, enforcement actions, internal investigations and white collar criminal prosecutions. We have advised clients throughout the Middle East in connection with a wide range of issues, including anti-corruption; economic sanctions; export controls; tax, securities and accounting fraud; and money laundering, providing a robust defense in various business contexts and at every stage of the investigation and enforcement process.

Recognition

In recognition of our significant Middle East-related work, Skadden was named Foreign Law Firm of the Year at the 2024 Middle East Law Awards by Thomson Reuters’ Asian Legal Business.

Collaborations

Skadden coordinates with leading Middle East law firms that provide local law knowledge in the various jurisdictions.