Global law firms are seeking the genie in the bottle in the Middle East. Just this week, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Reed Smith both announced they are expanding in the Middle East, with BCLP entering the Saudi Arabia market intending to open not one but two offices—in Riyadh and Al-Khobar. Reed Smith is also staking its claim in Saudi’s rapidly growing legal market, having secured a license last month from the Kingdom’s Ministry of Justice after being active in the region for more than four decades. Dario Sabaghi writes that a wave of top U.K. and U.S. firms are racing to establish a foothold in Riyadh, drawn by legal reforms and the revolutionary Regional Headquarters Licence, a program introduced last year to encourage multinational companies to establish their regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia. So far, more than 15 international law firms, including heavy hitters Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, White & Case, Baker McKenzie, and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, now have one or more Saudi licenses. According to the International Bar Association, another 15 applications are pending. Firms that already have a presence in the Middle East are also amping up their offerings and adding talent. Last week, Kirkland, Simmons & Simmons, Dentons and Charles Russell Speechlys all added new partners and teams to their practices in the region. Law firm leaders evidently see the Middle East as crucial to overall growth—as demonstrated by Eversheds Sutherland last week when it announced the relocation of its two-term co-chief executive Lee Ranson from its flagship London office to Dubai to champion its strategy and growth plans in the region. And last month, King & Spalding merged with Saudi Arabia's Al Fahad & Partners and substantially boosted its presence in the Kingdom. Clearly, the hot prospect of the Middle East is not one to ignore... | 