Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance named MENA M&A Legal Adviser of the Year at the Mergermarket European M&A Awards 2022

Firm advises on 37 transactions with a total deal value of US$51.6 billion in 2021

Clifford Chance is proud to announce that the Firm has been named MENA M&A Legal Adviser of the Year at the prestigious Mergermarket European M&A Awards in 2022. The awards recognize financial and legal advisers’ excellence in M&A deals in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, based on league table data as well as input from an independent judging panel.

Having been active in MENA for close to 50 years, Clifford Chance has cemented its reputation over decades as a go-to-firm for big ticket, complex, innovative and first-of-a-kind, as well as strategically important and sensitive M&A transactions.

Working across its offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Casablanca, as well as with Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani Law Firm (AS&H) in co-operation with Clifford Chance in Saudi Arabia, the Firm has recently advised on some of the most ground-breaking transactions in the MENA region including the largest ever M&A deal in the Middle East (PIF's US$69 billion sale of its stake in SABIC), as well as the largest ever M&A deal in the UAE (AD Power's US$20 billion sale to TAQA).

The Firm also recently advised on two of the largest ever oil & gas M&A transactions in the region (Saudi Aramco's $12.4b sale of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines and its $15.5b sale of a 49% stake in Aramco Gas Pipelines); as well as on the acquisition of majority stake in Egypt's SODIC by an Aldar-ADQ consortium.

Middle East Managing Partner, Mohammed Al-Shukairy, comments: "We are extremely proud of the calibre of our lawyers and the complexity of the work they have done for our clients over the last 12 months, without which this recognition would not be possible. We would also like to thank our clients for continuing to put their trust in us to as a law firm of choice for market leading M&A work."

Nigel Wellings, African Practice Leader for M&A and Private Equity, adds: "This award demonstrates our strong track record of providing seamless cross-border and multi-disciplinary support to clients on the most complex, innovative and high-profile transactions."

Mustapha Mourahib, Managing Partner of the Casablanca office, also states: "Our success with clients is based on the fact that we are able to draw on our experience to flex the standard developed market solutions so that they work for the relevant African market."