Not so long ago, Qatar looked like the next big thing for law firms. Last week, however, highlighted how international firms’ approach to the Middle East is increasingly diverging – splitting between those who feel they need to be on the ground in multiple markets and those who don’t.
As we reported last week, both Clifford Chance and Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) are set to close down their offices in Qatar in the coming months, and instead focus their attention on serving the market from Dubai. For HSF, the decision to close marks its second Middle Eastern retreat in as many years. We take a look at some of the reasons for firms downsizing in Qatar here.
