Leading Freshfields MENA
Sami Tannous (pictured), appointed as Freshfields’ regional managing partner on September 5th, 2024, shared with legalcommmunity MENA his strategies, visions and challenges as he steps in this new position.
An expert in Middle Eastern disputes, Tannous specializes in investor-State and international commercial arbitration. He has been a partner in Freshfields’ International Arbitration Group since 2017, having spent over 12 years in Dubai.
What are your key priorities as you step into this position?
The MENA practice already has solid foundations: we have an incredibly talented group of partners, counsel and associates who know the region, have strong client relationships and have established a reputation for delivering first class work for our clients.
My priority as MENA Regional Managing Partner is to build upon our successes. We have a fantastic roster of institutional clients both in the region and globally and will continue to deliver services in assisting our clients wherever they need it, whether in corporate, finance, dispute resolution, crisis management or investigations.
Are there specific practice areas you plan to enhance, and if so, which ones and why?
Our M&A and dispute resolution practices have grown steadily and organically. Driven by client demand, we have been building out regional private funds and secondaries practice, which is led by highly regarded funds lawyer, James Visick. James joined our Abu Dhabi office in 2022, and we have seen significant growth in that space since. Anna Nersesian, a finance and project finance lawyer, also relocated to the UAE in 2022 and her team has been very busy supporting major projects across the UAE, and the wider region. Finally, Amani Khalifa, a tri-qualified fluent Arabic speaker, was promoted to partner in 2023 and is focusing on developing our disputes offering in Saudi Arabia.
How do you envision Freshfields’ presence evolving in the MENA region under your leadership?
Within MENA, we have a single cohesive presence across four offices. The existence of an office in a particular region or city is purely client demand driven. At present, we do not have plans for further expansion. Our current presence in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Manama has been sufficient to enable us to service our clients across the wider region. However, I believe we will see growth in coming years in the jurisdictions where we are already present.
What do you see as the biggest challenges facing the legal market in the MENA region today, and how do you plan to address them?
There is clearly geopolitical volatility in the wider MENA region at present. This creates uncertainty and risks, although at present the Gulf region has been largely spared. Wearing my dispute resolution hat, volatility also breeds conflict and dispute resolution is often counter cyclical, so challenges for one practice may well be opportunities for another.
