Construction and energy law specialists, Fenwick Elliott, expects a 20% company revenue growth for 2021 due to pursuing expansion opportunities across the MENA region into Qatar, pivoting to an online business model, and appointing integral new promotions, after a challenging 2020.
Already operating across several Middle Eastern territories that include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Oman, Fenwick Elliott’s planned MENA expansion into Qatar this year will provide the new market with access to its high level of construction, infrastructure, engineering, and energy law expertise.
The firm predicts the planned expansion across the MENA region will see the company revenue grow by 20%, which is also accelerated by the firm’s continued expansion and success in Saudi Arabia, having been awarded work from the country’s top tier contractors and clients over the last 12 months.
Senior Partner, Simon Tolson, said: “The Middle East’s forward-thinking vision and rapid action of getting operations under control and re-open after 2020’s lockdown and tight restrictions, as well as opening the borders with Qatar, has allowed us to harness a huge opportunity and expand our services in the Middle East in this first quarter, which we believe will allow us to grow the company significantly in 2021.”
After the COVID-19 pandemic drove most business operations online in 2020, Fenwick Elliott harnessed the opportunity to update its business model and technical capabilities to become a leading firm for digital operations, and for the facilitation of digital hearings.
Embedding technology and online ways of working into its culture, Fenwick Elliott’s team now encompasses dedicated partner and personnel that are focused on the implementation of digital technologies and resources such as text analytics and technology providers.
This has allowed the specialist law firm to develop tailored solutions in respect of contract analysis, contract automation, matter analytics, and matter management that enhance its services and minimise costs to clients.
Patrick Stone, the newly appointed Managing Partner at Fenwick Elliott, UAE, said “We see technology and law as an essential partnership for our business moving forward. 2020 brought an instant need for us to pivot the way the business was operating, which saw most of our meetings and hearings migrating to online, which in turn meant that we were able to continue servicing our clients whilst harnessing the growing technology services in the sector.”
To support the company’s planned expansion into Qatar and its continued growth in Saudi Arabia with alliance partners Hammad & Al-Mehdar, Fenwick Elliott has also already made numerous structural changes and promotions in 2021.
After joining the Dubai office as partner in 2019, Patrick Stone will lead the law firm’s operations as managing partner for the UAE, operating out of Fenwick Elliott’s international office in Dubai.