Bevan Farmer elevated to Head of Qatar at Addleshaw Goddard
The firm has developed strong relationships with key government agencies, corporate entities, financial institutions, regulatory bodies and private individuals since opening in Qatar in 2012
Bevan Farmer has been elevated to Head of Qatar by Addleshaw Goddard. The leadership role will be in addition to his responsibility at the firm as Co-Head of the Middle East construction and engineering team.
Farmer is said to specialise in construction and construction disputes, and has worked in the GCC and MENA region for over a decade. He succeeds Ahmad Anani who recently announced his decision to retire from Addleshaw Goddard.
He originally joined Addleshaw Goddard in 2014, became a partner in 2016 and co-head of the Middle East construction and engineering practice in 2020. A recognised specialist in construction and engineering disputes, Farmer has particular expertise across a broad range of industry sectors, including transport, infrastructure, utilities, industrial and energy, a statement from Addleshaw Goddard noted.
In September 2022, the Umm Al Houl desalination plant in Qatar said that it had achieved one millions hours without an accident.
“The State of Qatar has one of the most exciting, fastest growing economies in the world and is a vital hub for our business in the Middle East, which has continued to grow under the leadership of Ahmad who leaves with our best wishes. Bevan is incredibly well respected in his specialist field, excellent at building strong relationships with clients and enthusiastic about growing AGs brand in the region and so as we approach our 10th anniversary, he is absolutely the ideal person to lead, encourage and ensure that we continue to expand our business in this key market and support the ambitions of clients in both the public and private sectors,” said Andrew Johnson, Addleshaw Goddard Head of Middle East and Asia.
In Qatar, the firm is said to have a team of lawyers able to advise on the laws of Qatar, the QFC and England. Since the office opened in 2012, the firm has developed strong relationships with the region’s key government agencies, corporate entities, financial institutions, regulatory bodies and private individuals, it noted.
Farmer remarked, “We have a fantastic group of lawyers across the Middle East whose approach is dynamic, entrepreneurial and innovative and we are very well placed to provide clients with specialist, local market expertise, on any regional assignments, and also in relation to their international investment portfolios during this time of immense growth and change. The imagination and impact we bring to our client assignments combined with our ambition and the ongoing investment we have planned for our business in Qatar will continue to distinguish Addleshaw Goddard, and I am excited to be leading the firm in this market through the next important stages of its growth.”
Late in September 2022, QatarEnergy and GE inked a deal to step up carbon capture in the energy sector.
Alongside traditional strengths in corporate, banking and finance including Islamic finance, commercial litigation and construction, the practice also has expertise in infrastructure, projects & energy, employment and real estate. The firm is said to have over 70 lawyers and fee earners operating across the MENA region.
In early October 2022, JLL signed an agreement with a Qatar real estate brokerage to boost property investments.
