DLA Piper’s Middle East and Kuwait managing partner Abdul Aziz Al-Yaqout has resigned to launch his own boutique firm in Kuwait.
Al-Yaqout has teamed up with Carlyle Group MENA general counsel Bader El-Jeaan to launch the firm, Meysan Partners.
Restructuring and M&A lawyer Al-Yaquout took up the regional managing partner role at DLA Piper in 2009, replacing David Church (14 October 2009), shortly after his election to the firm’s LLP board (10 August 2009). He was previously managing partner of DLA Piper’s Cologne office.
El-Jeaan was at private equity house Carlyle for over seven years. He was previously group general counsel at PwC Logistics for over three years, having begun his career at Shearman & Sterling.
According to a statement, the firm has launched with five lawyers and intends to grow to 20 by the end of this year.
Al-Yaqout said: “We recognised a gap in the market for high-quality, regional legal advice, led by a senior team with in-depth experience advising clients in the Middle East.”
El-Jeaan said that the firm plans to open a network of offices across the region in the next five years.
“We will however maintain a ratio of associates to partners that is significantly below that of other firms in the region, focusing on matters that require the experience of our partners, particularly on cross-border regional transactions and high-stakes commercial litigation,” he said.
DLA Piper has confirmed Al-Yaqout’s replacement as corporate insolvency partner Peter Somekh.