2011 is proving to be the year of growth at Galadari & Associates. We havehad a rapid increase in legal staff with key hires in our construction and infrastructure team, Asia sourced members to our banking, IP experts to corporate, local and international in litigation and paralegals throughout. We are continuously approached by lawyers from other local and regionally based firms looking for position openings. Most notably in disputes where we are renowned for being at the front end of the major contentious matters in the UAE and throughout the GCC.
Our strategy of concentrating our practice areas on specific industry sectors has enabled us to secure market leading mandates in tough trading conditions.
Our policy of introducing international desks continues and 2011 will see the launch of a further 2. Our China desk will further expand in both size and coverage and we remain committed to taking it still further as we believe that the importance of Asia Pacific to the global economy will only increase. As the only local firm offering this capability an increasingly diverse client base are turning to us precisely because we are able to offer connections that will help them conduct their business, whether between China and the Middle East or at any point along the Singapore- Shanghai - Hong Kong - Beijing – Japan – Jakarta axis.
M&A deals were a boom industry in China last year. Leading international and local Chinese law firms have been advisors to many significant deals which showcased just how ripe the environment has been in China for major business activity. While the market continued to attract foreign investors into China, many domestic enterprises started to look globally, making outbound investments and acquiring stakes in both the developed and developing countries – most notably – the Middle East. (UAE, Qatar, Saudi) and Galadari & Associates were poised to provide the gateway to the region.
We have adopted a different approach to Europe and Middle East where the market volatility has required us to focus on maintaining the strength of our business and the stability of our people. As a result, we have finished the year with a credible financial performance and with our workforce, stronger, larger, and more international than ever before.
Our market place is international. The United Arab Emirates remains the axis between East and West. It is the most politically stable country in the Middle East and therefore continues to attract an increasingly high level of investment and trade. Our people come from all over the world and the success we enjoy is largely due to the sheer diversity of our people and our clients.