Abu Dhabi and New York, December 1, 2008—Shearman & Sterling, already one of the most prominent firms in the Middle East through its more than 40-year presence in the region, will increase its capabilities through a significant expansion of its Abu Dhabi office over the coming months. The addition of partners and associates will double the Abu Dhabi office’s staffing to nearly 30 lawyers.

Shearman & Sterling was one of the first global law firms to establish a foothold in the Middle East in the 1960s and opened its Abu Dhabi office in 1975. From that time through the present, Shearman & Sterling has established itself as a leader in the region in the areas of capital markets, international arbitration, mergers and acquisitions, project development and finance, and property.

“We are experiencing significant growth across practice areas in the Middle East,” said Rohan S. Weerasinghe, Shearman’s Senior Partner. “We have met our clients’ needs by bringing in lawyers from our other international offices and from outside the firm. Now, with this expansion to nearly 30 lawyers in Abu Dhabi, we will have even greater local resources available to serve clients in the region.”

Shearman has been widely acknowledged for the strength of its Abu Dhabi office through its work with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Abu Dhabi United Group, Agility, Alghanim Industries, Gulf Bank, International Petroleum Investment Company, Kuwait Investment Authority, Mubadala Development Company, SABIC and Tasameem Group.