Highly commended: Al Tamimi & Company
Finalists: Allen & Overy • Clifford Chance • Galadari • Hadef & Partners • Hogan Lovells • K&L Gates
In a first-in-country deal for the United Arab Emirates, Shearman & Sterling advised Abu Dhabi Global Market on its establishment as a financial free zone. This involved drafting a comprehensive set of civil, commercial and financial legislation that meets and often goes over and above the standards required by financial centres such as London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. The hope is that, when complete, the project will allow foreign investors and financial institutions to work in a transparent regime that offers more certainty and less risk than other jurisdictions in the Middle East.
