Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is poised to open its first office in the Middle East in Qatar.
The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) has granted the litigation powerhouse a license to practice international and local law in Doha. Construction partner James Bremen is likely to lead the new office, which will primarily service the partner’s practice. Bremen set up the firm’s construction disputes practice in the UK when he joined in December from
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF).
Quinn Emanuel is expected to open its doors in the city early next year. Bremen will likely be the only partner in the office, overseeing a small team of locally recruited associates and dividing his time between London and Doha. The arrangement is similar to his previous arrangement at HSF.
The firm is going against the recent trend of global firms exiting the Middle East. In the first week of February,
Clifford Chance and HSF were
confirmed to be closing their offices in Qatar. A week later, Weil was confirmed to be closing its office in Dubai, which was
its only base in the Middle East.
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