Dentons signs up Simmons partner in boost for Middle East energy practice

Denton Wilde Sapte has added to its Middle East energy practice with the hire of a Simmons & Simmons partner.

Stuart Cavet joined Dentons in Abu Dhabi earlier this month (18 July) from Simmons' Qatar office.

Cavet joined Simmons as a partner in London in 2005 from Herbert Smith, where he was a senior associate. Before that, he worked in-house with oil and gas company BG Group in India between 1997 and 2001. He relocated to Doha in 2006.

The hire brings Dentons' Abu Dhabi office to 16 lawyers, including five partners. The firm's Middle East energy practice, which is headed by Dubai-based partner James Dallas, now has four partners, including Abu Dhabi-based partner Andrew Ward and newly-promoted Muscat-based partner Ian McGrath.

The firm has another 17 energy-specialist lawyers in the region.

Dallas commented: "Since I relocated to the region in 2008 the energy practice has retained good growth with clients continuing to invest. Stuart has a very broad energy practice which will be very good for our energy practice in the region, which has clients with a very wide range of requirements."

Cavet added: "I have known Dentons for quite a while and in the oil and gas sector they are the pre-eminent firm. This was a very compelling reason to join them."

Dentons' Middle East energy clients include international oil giants BP, Shell and ENI as well as major regional player Oil and Natural Gas Corporation India Videsh, as well as regional governments and regulators.

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