Kuwait

Firm overview

International Legal Group (ILG) is a Kuwait-based multisector law firm that provides general corporate, consultancy, and dispute resolution services to clients operating or seeking to operate in the State of Kuwait. The firm represents domestic and foreign clients, ranging from individuals to large multinational businesses and across different sectors, including construction and contracting, energy, healthcare, and information and communication technologies.

From mergers and acquisitions to public-private partnership infrastructure projects, ILG has led several landmark cases in Kuwait across all stages of advisory and litigation, including the State of Kuwait’s Court of Cassation and the State of Kuwait’s Constitutional Court. The firm holds strategic alliances with leading firms throughout the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the United States of America to provide clients with tailored, comprehensive solutions for their cross-border transactions, and is accredited by the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) to submit applications on behalf of investors. ILG also provides legal services to several embassies and their residents in Kuwait.

The International Legal Group was formed in 2011 as a result of the merger of the law offices of Dr. Ahmad Alsamdan & Partners and the Late Dr. Rasheed Al Anezi (established in 1984).

Firm overview

Recognised as the preeminent firm for corporate and finance matters in Kuwait, ASAR – Al Ruwayeh & Partners is the firm of choice for leading multinational corporations, government entities, and major local businesses. With over 40 years of experience, ASAR combines commercial insight with a proven ability to deliver on complex, high-value transactions across the Gulf.

The firm’s Finance practice is a market leader, advising on conventional and Islamic finance structures, including bilateral and syndicated lending, project finance, structured finance, and derivatives. ASAR is also a go-to advisor on financial services regulation, with a strong track record advising banks, investment companies, and sovereign wealth vehicles on compliance, licensing, and structuring.

ASAR’s Corporate team is widely recognised for its work on joint ventures, group reorganisations, cross-border M&A, and strategic investments. The firm regularly advises private equity firms and institutional investors on transactions across key sectors, including infrastructure, energy, logistics, and healthcare.
In the capital markets space, ASAR has guided clients through major IPOs, sukuk and bond issuances, and compliance with evolving securities regulations. Clients value ASAR’s ability to navigate the region’s fast-evolving legal and regulatory landscape with precision and foresight.

ASAR plays a central role in Kuwait’s infrastructure development, having advised on every project initiated by the Kuwait Authority for Partnership Projects (KAPP), including in the power, water, telecom, and renewable energy sectors. The firm also acts on first-of-their-kind tech infrastructure and data centre developments in the country.

With offices in Kuwait and Bahrain and affiliations in over 100 jurisdictions, ASAR provides seamless support to clients operating locally, regionally, and globally. Its integrated, partner-led service model continues to set the benchmark for corporate and finance legal services in Kuwait.

Firm overview

GLA & Company is a regional MENA-based law firm with offices in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Qatar and UAE. It provides strategic, cost-effective and forward-thinking legal representation for companies seeking to do business in the Middle East. The firm boasts a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from start-ups to global enterprises doing business in the Middle East. GLA’s practice consists of a full-service law firm that handles everything from simple advisory work to complex contentious and non-contentious matters. With extensive experience advising clients in the key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE – as well as in Egypt – the firm offers unique insights for companies seeking quality legal services. Data protection and privacy, in particular, is a key focus area for the firm, considering the expansion and revamping of applicable laws and regulations across the GCC.

GLA & Company is headed up by Nader Al Awadhi, Senior Partner, and Alex Saleh, Managing Partner. As a founding partner, Nader Al-Awadhi has over 44 years of legal experience. Nader Al Awadhi’s reputation in the Kuwait legal profession is well-known. He has developed a strong forte for commercial and corporate litigation matters representing many of the top Kuwaiti companies and institutions as well as many famous international companies.

Alex Saleh is the Managing Partner of GLA & Company and takes a leading regional role within the firm with respect to its M&A and Private Equity practice. With over 25 years of experience in both the GCC markets as well as the US, he has accumulated sizable expertise in the areas of banking & finance, mergers & acquisitions, capital market deals and infrastructure projects. His experience garners praise from the leading legal directories as he is annually awarded “Market Leader” by the IFLR1000, “Band One” by Chambers & Partners and “Leading Individual” by Legal 500. Alex’s transactions regularly win Deals of the Year by the same institutions and organizations.

With Offices Throughout the Region, Our Firm Represents Companies in the Middle East and Worldwide
At GLA & Company, we provide strategic, cost-effective, and forward-thinking legal representation for companies seeking to do business in the Middle East. We also represent MENA startups and established companies doing business locally and abroad.

Our practice encompasses all of the legal issues companies will likely encounter in the global business environment. With extensive experience advising clients in the key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) plus Egypt, we offer unique insights for companies seeking to establish or expand business operations in these nations. From advising on various aspects of doing business in the region, engaging in simple or complex transactions, assisting with local regulatory disclosures with various competition or anti-trust authorities, or resolving disputes (local or arbitral), our attorneys are well-equipped to provide current, concise and timely representation to all types of clients.

We Work With Companies and Their International Counsel
We work with many of our clients directly. This includes clients located in the Middle East and in other regions worldwide in a diverse array of industries. But we also work with companies’ international law firm counsel in many instances. If your firm has a client with interests in the Middle East, GLA & Co attorneys can either shoulder the load or work alongside your firm’s attorneys to meet your client’s needs in a timely and cost-effective manner.

We Provide a Full Suite of Necessary Legal Services for Global Companies
We have structured our firm to serve as full-service outside counsel to multi-national companies seeking to do business in the Middle East and regional companies ranging from high-tech startups to established real estate developers, financial institutions, and retailers. This is illustrated by our practice areas, which include:

• Anti-Trust & Competition
• Banking & Finance
• Capital Markets
• Commercial Advisory
• Construction & Projects
• Corporate and M&A
• Data & Technology
• Disputes
• Employment & Benefits

We Offer Unique Perspectives on Doing Business in the Middle East
As a result of our attorneys’ decades of local experience, we offer unique perspectives on doing business in the Middle East. Not only are our attorneys intimately familiar with the legal and regulatory issues, but they are knowledgeable about local and regional customs as well. As a result, our attorneys can help our clients avoid costly—and potentially embarrassing—mistakes while fully addressing their legal needs.

We are Different from Our Competitors
As a boutique law firm with the resources and talent of much larger firms, we stand out from our competitors. We offer custom-tailored, one-on-one legal representation at reasonable rates, and our attorneys take a personal interest in ensuring that our clients have every available opportunity to succeed. Moreover, what sets GLA & Co apart is our unparalleled combination of international and local expertise. GLA & Co combines the best and brightest regional international advisors with local experts who often hold an established and respected relationship with many key regulatory authorities, allowing us to provide the best advice and representation in a timely manner.

Firm overview

Launched in 2015, Meysan is an innovative and ambitious international law firm, comprising leading legal experts from the Middle East and the UK, serving those territories and beyond.

Our exceptional and innovative advice is delivered by a team of Arabic and English-speaking, and often bilingual, lawyers who advise clients across a range of sectors on high-stakes commercial disputes and complex transactions. Many of them trained and worked in Europe or the US, and all of them have earned a reputation for succeeding in leading-edge, high-value work. Our momentum comes from challenging ourselves at the highest level, every day.

Today, Meysan is one of the most respected firms in Kuwait, with unmatched bench strength and a remarkably broad range of partner expertise.

Since our founding, Meysan has been trusted to help shape Kuwait’s legal and regulatory framework, including drafting the Kuwait Companies Law as well as its bond and sukuk regulations. We have also been a driving force in developing the laws and regulations necessary for the successful completion of Silk City, a multi-billion-dollar initiative. As architects of many of the country’s legal frameworks, the team applies the same innovative approaches to devising bespoke solutions to client problems.