London-headquartered multinational “Magic Circle” law firm Clifford Chance has offices in about 23 countries. It opened its first office in the UAE in 1975 and now has office locations in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Focusses / specialisms

The firm is a leader across all financial and corporate practice areas in UAE.

It has a top-tier capital markets practice, which is active in debt equity and structured finance.

M&A is another clear area of focus for the firm, as its corporate team advises on a share of the market’s most complex, innovative transactions in multiple sectors.

Key clients

Key recent clients include The Red Sea Development Company, Qiddiya Investment Company, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Al Khaliji Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), Port & Free Zone World FZE, DP World, Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi Retirement Pensions & Benefits Fund, Citigroup Global Markets, Goldman Sachs International, JP Morgan Securities, Etihad Airways, Ahli Bank and Government of the Emirate of Sharjah.

Client feedback: 32^nd edition (2022/2023)

M&A

“Good sector knowledge and understanding of the region specifics; good client relationship; ability to win points during negotiations.”

Project finance

“Clifford Chance was helpful in helping the lenders work through a very complex structure and coming up with commercial solutions to novel issues.”