Pinsent Masons acquires licence to operate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Pinsent Masons has been working closely with Alsabhan & Alajaji in the region since forming a strategic alliance in 2018. The cooperation has been highly successful, enabling both firms to work together as an integrated team across a full spectrum of practice areas to advise domestic and international clients in the region and enabling them to achieve their objectives. 

With the grant of the foreign law licence, Pinsent Masons will now operate through ‘Alsabhan & Alajaji Pinsent Masons LLC’, enabling both firms to continue to support clients and build upon our strong regional practice and presence. 

Partner Tim Armsby is relocating to Riyadh and, together with Peter Blackmore, will be representing Pinsent Masons interests from the firm’s offices in Riyadh.

Lawyers and business operations colleagues at Alsabhan & Alajaji Pinsent Masons LLC will continue to have access to the Pinsent Masons Academy programme which offers a wide range of classroom and online legal and business skills training to lawyers and business professionals, helping them to develop their legal, business and commercial skills, in addition to secondment opportunities.

Catherine Workman, Head of Middle East for Pinsent Masons, said: “Since the amendments to the Saudi Code of Law Practice, we have been keenly awaiting our licence to operate in Saudi Arabia. During this time, our commitment to the Kingdom, and to building our business throughout the Middle East has never wavered. We are delighted that now we can continue to build our presence in the country through Alsabhan & Alajaji Pinsent Masons LLC and are able to offer an even more engaged service for our clients throughout the region alongside Ibrahim Alajaji and Naif Alsabhan.”,

Ibrahim Alajali, Managing Partner at Alsabhan & Alajaji, added, said: “Witnessing our alliance with Pinsent Masons evolve into this significant milestone has been a journey of mutual learning and shared successes. The grant of this license is not just a mark of our firm's growth, but also a reflection of our commitment to Saudi Vision 2030. 

“By aligning our practices with the Kingdom's ambitious goals, we aim to contribute to the development of a thriving legal environment, enhancing business and investment opportunities. This alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 underscores our dedication to innovative legal solutions that support economic diversification, societal progress, and the empowerment of local and international businesses. Our future vision is to continue setting benchmarks in legal services within the Kingdom, playing a pivotal role in the dynamic transformation envisioned by Saudi Arabia”.

Naif Alsabhan, Founding Partner at Alsabhan & Alajaji, added: “This development marks the apex of a longstanding collaboration, during which both firms have consistently engaged in top-notch projects and dispensed expert advice to the private and public sectors, demonstrating utmost professionalism.”