Corporate/Commercial | Global

In early 2023, Clifford Chance was one of the first international law firms to be issued a legal practice licence from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Justice. It now operates in the Kingdom via a joint venture with its former association partner (AS&H) and maintains a top-tier corporate practice with a considerable bench of respected lawyers. It is known for its deep knowledge of the fast-evolving Saudi market and its impressive track record of roles on numerous high-profile transactions. The team is often seen on very high-value M&A transactions and major joint venture agreements, with significant experience advising on cross-border mandates. Its clients include investment funds, international banks and major energy companies.

Khoshaim & Associates is a pre-eminent independent law firm with established depth in Saudi Arabia, maintaining offices in both Riyadh and Jeddah. The team is well equipped to advise on market entry mandates, including by way of joint venture agreements. Its lawyers also handle M&A transactions. It acts for major international and regional clients, including government entities and heavyweight energy clients. The firm is further adept at assisting with commercial regulatory issues and is notable for its expanding venture capital practice.

This leading law firm has a considerable track record in Saudi, representing clients in a host of M&A transactions. Its well-established presence and extensive experience in the Kingdom make it a go-to firm both for cross-border and purely domestic matters. The team adeptly advises on the establishment of new entities, as well as corporate restructuring and regulatory compliance matters, often acting for clients from the financial services, pharma and tech sectors. Team members offer notable strength in advising on merger control filings to the General Authority for Competition in Saudi Arabia.

King & Spalding is noted for its longstanding involvement in major Saudi transactions, acting for both buyers and sellers. The firm is regularly cited for its in-depth knowledge of Saudi-related venture capital investment mandates, often acting for domestic and multinational investment funds. It also assists with joint venture agreements, privatisations and corporate restructurings.

In 2023, Latham & Watkins became one of the first international law firms to formalise its presence in the Kingdom, having maintained a successful cooperation agreement with the Law Office of Salman Al-Sudairi for many years. Its Riyadh corporate team is known for its strong focus on the representation of government bodies. It is frequently called upon to oversee major M&A transactions, as well as assisting with development projects. The firm has equally extensive experience advising on the formation of Saudi Arabian joint ventures. Clients benefit from the firm's ability to work with other offices in Latham's global network on multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Freshfields has a highly experienced group of lawyers in Saudi Arabia. Working in association with the Law Firm of Salah Al-Hejailan, the firm is able to advise on a wide range of M&A, joint venture and commercial restructuring matters. The team frequently acts on private equity investments in the healthcare, hospitality and TMT sectors. Clients benefit from its very close working relationship with the Dubai office of its international affiliate.

White & Case is well noted in the Saudi market for its vast experience acting on behalf of government entities and major regional companies. The firm regularly provides advice on high-profile M&A and real estate transactions. Its lawyers also adeptly advise on joint venture agreements and privatisations.

Derayah is a well-established independent Saudi law firm. It is known for its considerable experience advising on the formation and liquidation of Saudi joint venture entities, as well as for advising on commercial contracts and corporate governance issues. The firm is typically called upon to represent international clients in the capacity of local counsel, calling upon the skills of lawyers based in both Riyadh and Jeddah.

This is a compact, high-quality team with a wealth of transactional experience in the Kingdom. Its lawyers are able to provide clients with strong advice on corporate structuring and joint ventures as well as private equity investments and divestments. The team has deep expertise in a host of transactional mandates, and is regularly to be seen acting for clients from the natural resources and financial services industries.

This noted law firm maintains a strong foothold in the venture capital space within the Kingdom. The team also advises on commercial contracts and market expansion, and is increasingly highlighted for its experience concerning Saudi competition law. Its lawyers provide services from the firm's headquarters in Jeddah as well as offices in Riyadh and Al Khobar.

Hourani & Partners in association with ZH Partners has a dynamic corporate team with well-established strengths in joint venture agreements and M&A. It is active on private equity and venture capital investments and also has extensive experience advising clients on corporate governance and group structuring. The team advises a number of major Saudi and international players, leveraging its bench within Saudi Arabia as well as its strong capabilities in Dubai.

The Law Office of Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed (in association with Baker Botts) fields an astute corporate and commercial team noted for its impressive capabilities in Saudi Arabia. The firm's extensive experience includes assisting multinationals with Saudi market entry issues, as well as advising on M&A. Its Riyadh-based lawyers regularly act for clients from the defence and energy sectors, assisting them with corporate structuring issues, as well as a variety of commercial contract mandates and joint venture agreements.

Al Tamimi operates a strong regional corporate and commercial practice with extensive experience in Saudi Arabia. The firm provides guidance on acquisitions, divestments and joint venture agreements, often acting alongside international law firms on multi-jurisdictional matters. It offers broad market coverage, with offices in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province. The firm has significant experience advising on corporate matters in the technology and telecoms sectors, and is also notable for its growing Saudi competition practice.

This team has experience advising on the full gamut of corporate and commercial issues in Saudi Arabia, covering mergers, joint venture agreements, acquisitions and divestments. The firm acts for a client base hailing from a range of sectors, including financial services. It offers a significant understanding of corporate governance and structuring matters, and is further experienced advising on distribution agreements.

Linklaters has an experienced team of lawyers in Riyadh which is capable of advising international and local companies on a wide array of M&A matters. The team frequently represents investment funds and clients from the food and beverage and technology industries. It is often sought out to assist foreign multinationals with their entry into the Saudi market through the establishment of a joint venture.

This team is distinguished for its strengths in regulatory, transactional and corporate structuring mandates in Saudi Arabia. The department regularly assists investment funds, as well as multinational life sciences and healthcare companies. It is well equipped to handle joint venture agreements and contractual negotiations, as well as M&A transactions throughout the Kingdom.

BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates is a regional Middle Eastern law firm with a well-established presence in Saudi Arabia. It regularly advises on the incorporation of local subsidiaries and the formation of joint ventures, as well as providing guidance on licensing and agency agreements. The compact corporate team in Riyadh works on a number of matters alongside its colleagues based in Dubai.

Dentons operates a full-service practice in Saudi Arabia, covering a wide array of commercial and corporate matters. This includes contract negotiations and corporate governance mandates, with its strengths further extending to M&A transactions and joint venture agreements. The department regularly handles mandates on behalf of clients from the energy, real estate and transportation sectors.