Riyadh: Clifford Chance hosted the UK Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (SoSJ), the Rt. Hon. Chris Grayling MP, at a meeting of British law firms operating in Riyadh.
Riyadh Office Managing Partner Tim Plews and Riyadh-based partner Paul Latto hosted the event at Clifford Chance’s Business Gate office which saw seven other UK law firms attend.
Discussions focused on the legal services industry’s contribution to economic growth and stability, and support of trade and investment in other sectors.
There are already many positive and productive links between Saudi Arabia and the UK in the legal sector, with a number of UK law firms – including Clifford Chance – operating offices in Riyadh.
“Clifford Chance Law Firm is proud to be in Saudi and committed to strengthening the Saudi legal profession. We are the first international law firm to operate a mixed foreign and Saudi partnership in the Kingdom which gives Saudi nationals an opportunity to train and work in an international law firm,” Plews, said.
“Clifford Chance launched the Saudi Arabian Graduate Scheme which offers Saudi nationals the opportunity to train with and pursue a career at Clifford Chance law firm. The scheme offers a two year training period with rotations in the Corporate and Banking and Finance practices of the firm’s Riyadh office. The office also offer short term placements for the Prince Sultan University scheme for female law graduates
The meeting coincides with the SoSJ’s visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which was aimed at enhancing the relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabian legal services industries.
The delegation is promoting the Global Law Summit taking place in London in February 2015 which will examine how law enables business to flourish across jurisdictions and how it forms the foundation of a strong and prosperous society.
The Summit will bring together global leaders in business and law, enabling them to develop relationships across markets.
Clifford Chance is the Middle East’s leading international law firm, with more regional tier-1 directory rankings than any other firm.