Charbel Maakaron, Managing Partner at Crowell & Moring
The US-domiciled law firm Crowell & Moring, which established its Middle East headquarters in Doha in 2020 aims to capitalise on the strong economic growth in Qatar and the region, said the firm’s Managing Partner, Charbel Maakaron, in an exclusive interview with The Peninsula.
Recently honoured as ‘International Law Firm of the Year’ by LexisNexis Middle East, in just under three years the firm has emerged as a key business partner for the Arab world. With a bilingual and highly qualified team, the firm continues to expand by recruiting more attorneys and establishing strong partnerships with prominent entities across the country.
“Since launching Crowell in Qatar, the team grew by nearly 40 percent, placing us amongst the largest international law firms in terms of attorneys in Doha,” said Maakaron. Maakaron pointed out that Qatar’s continued focus on key economic sectors including sports, oil and gas, international trade, and foreign investments, among others, provides international law firms such as Crowell the opportunity to be involved in a range of diverse and exciting projects, where they can support and advise clients in these areas.
Maakaron highlighted that the firm contributes to Qatar’s growth by bringing the best legal practices and knowledge to the market, introducing overseas clients to potential opportunities in Qatar, and assisting them in expanding their operations. As a result, Crowell’s client portfolio now includes major players in the oil and gas, education, infrastructure, aviation, retail, and hospitality sectors.
“Our client base is diverse and very much echoes the sectors of the Qatari economy. We act for clients in both public and private sectors,” added Maakaron.
As a falcon member of the US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), Crowell aims to strengthen business relationships between the two countries, which are now valued at around US $200bn. “As a US law firm, we feel it is our responsibility to be ambassadors of business between Qatar and the United States and to do that, we try to leverage our engagement with organisations that share our mission and message,” Maakaron explained.
Crowell’s Managing Partner also outlined that the firm gives back to the local community through its various CSR initiatives, including organising legal awareness training sessions, offering internship opportunities to encourage knowledge transfer, and providing pro bono legal services to those in need of legal support.
Commenting on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Maakaron said that the tournament served as a growth catalyst for the firm, as it was a driving force in the delivery of mega projects including the airport, infrastructure, railway, and road network.
Speaking on the forecast of the firm and Qatar’s market, Maakaron confirmed plans to grow the team and hire legal experts across various sectors to diversify their current portfolio and continue to play a positive role as a leading international law firm in Qatar. “Our objective is to continue to expand to serve our clients by adding more exceptional talent to deliver the legal excellence which our clients expect and deserve,” commented Maakaron.
