Crowell & Moring Announces Alliances in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Alliances with Hegazy & Associates and Al Enizy & Associates Strengthen Middle East and North Africa Capabilities

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Apr 20, 2010, 10:00 ET

WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire/ -- The international law firm of Crowell & Moring LLP is pleased to announce that it has opened an affiliate office in Cairo, Egypt under the sponsorship of Hegazy & Associates, a Cairo-based law firm, and, concurrently, has entered into a strategic alliance with Al Enizy & Associates, one of Saudi Arabia's leading law firms. The Cairo office will operate under the name Hegazy & Associates in Association with Crowell & Moring.

The alliances have been formed in continuation of Crowell & Moring's long-term efforts to better serve North American, European, and Latin American clients with business interests in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. They will serve needs ranging from public procurement and government contracting to mergers & acquisitions, corporate and commercial financings, Islamic finance transactions, and international disputes. By forming these alliances, Crowell & Moring, Hegazy & Associates, and Al Enizy & Associates will also be better positioned to provide Middle Eastern and North African companies with an integrated approach to servicing their legal needs as they expand their business and operations in the United States, Europe and throughout the MENA region.

"We've been active in the Middle East and North Africa for many years as we've advised clients on matters ranging from multi-million dollar arbitrations to government relations and corporate transactions. Our new alliances will allow us to provide the highest level of regional experience and capabilities to our clients, and add an important dimension to our firm's global capabilities. We are proud to be able to offer our clients access to some of the most sophisticated and experienced lawyers in the region, and we're honored that they have trusted us to work with their most important clients," said Kent A. Gardiner, Crowell & Moring chairman.

Cairo-based Hegazy & Associates advises regional and international clients on domestic and cross-border corporate transactions, conventional and Islamic banking finance, government contracts, and international litigation and arbitration.

Headquartered in Riyadh with an additional office in Jeddah, Al Enizy & Associates offers clients significant experience in corporate transactions, regulatory and capital markets matters, Islamic banking and finance, insurance, government contracts, litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution.

Hegazy & Associates is managed by Dr. Walid Hegazy, the former head of the Islamic Finance Practice Group at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, who has more than 15 years experience practicing law in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and France.

Dr. Hegazy said, "Cairo is a growing center of gravity for the Middle East and North Africa region, and it is becoming a critical hub for much of the growth we are seeing in the energy, telecom, and construction sectors. These areas are longstanding strengths of Crowell & Moring, and I'm pleased to help bring their highly sophisticated experience to businesses operating in Egypt and throughout the region, including Sub-Saharan Africa."

Dr. Fahd Al-Enizy, the head of Al Enizy & Associates, said, "We are very pleased to announce our new alliance. Crowell & Moring has clearly demonstrated its continuing commitment to the region, and our clients will benefit from the vast international resources and experience offered through the firm's offices throughout the U.S. and Europe." Dr. Al Enizy is a member of the Saudi Shoura Council and the former Dean of the Law and Political Sciences School at King Saud University.

Crowell & Moring currently advises a large number of clients with respect to their government contracting, transactions, disputes, compliance and other matters throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The firm also represents regional corporations, government-entities and high net worth individuals doing business around the globe in connection with United States and foreign government contracts, corporate and commercial financings, international acquisitions, joint ventures, and other cross-border transactions, general corporate law advice, tax issues, corporate restructurings, regulatory and compliance matters and international dispute resolution.

"We believe Saudi Arabia and Egypt are two of the most critical markets in the broader Middle East and North Africa region right now. Our new strategic alliances in the region allow us to strengthen the range of services we can offer our U.S. and European clients, as well as diversify and expand our existing client base in the region," said Morris F. DeFeo Jr., Crowell & Moring partner and head of the Middle East and North Africa practice.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes disputes, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels. Visit Crowell & Moring online at www.crowell.com.

For more information on Hegazy & Associates, please visit http://www.hegazylaw.com/. For more information on Al Enizy & Associates, please visit http://alenizy-law-firm.com/law-firm-secteurs-6-en.

SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP