McNair receive warm welcome from Qatar business community
30 Mar 2008
Doha, 30 March 2008 - Key business leaders and stakeholders from across Qatar gathered at the Diplomatic Club , Sunday 30th March, to welcome McNair Chambers - the first ever English barristers’ chambers outside the UK which has been established in Doha, Qatar.
The reception was co-hosted by the British Embassy and senior figures from McNair; Lord Slynn of Hadley, Professor Khawar Qureshi QC and Professor William Ballantyne.
McNair members offer a unique skill set which, matching the business needs of Qatar’s diverse economy, includes international arbitration, public international law, commercial and energy law, Chinese and Arab law. Its members are experts in their field, but by establishing in Doha they are offering the Qatar business community direct access to their unrivalled expertise, which is now possible thanks to recent changes.
Head of Chambers, Khawar Qureshi QC, speaking at the reception said:
“We are keen to enhance our local relationships by providing easier access to our expertise for both Qatari law firms and corporate clients. We are also keen to share our knowledge with all Qatari communities, including Qatari students. We feel that Qatar is s business community, and indeed a society, that is full of vitality and innovation and we feel very at home doing business here.”
The reception celebrated this world first for Qatar, but there was also much comment on the important advantages that this unique opportunity offers those in the region who are engaging in international business.
Roddy Drummond, Chargé d'Affaires and Head of Mission, British Embassy, said:
" We believe that the presence of McNair Chambers will provide an invaluable source of international legal expertise for the dynamic and expanding business needs of Qatar and the region. The decades long connection between members of McNair Chambers and Qatar reflects the strong ties between our two countries, and a determination not to rest on our laurels, but instead to forge new types of partnership for the twenty-first century.”
Members of McNair have worked on many cases in the region, on a wide range of issues including oil and gas, aviation, banking, construction, financial services and shipping, for both state entities and corporate clients; often for deals amounting to many billions of dollars. They have experience in over 20 major industries and have represented or advised on matters for or against more than 50 states.