Andersen Global extends Middle East footprint with Alem & Associates

Andersen Global, an international association of member firms, has significantly extended its reach in the Middle East with the addition of Alem & Associates to its footprint. The new collaborating firm is based in Beirut and has further offices in Dubai and Riyadh.

Since re-launching in 2014, Andersen Global has been on a global growth spree. Today the company, which provides clients with tax and legal advisory services, has more than 2,500 professionals and a presence in over 84 locations worldwide.

To date, the firm’s Middle East wing comprised of a member firm in Egypt, Cairo-based Maher Milad Iskander & Company. In a bid to extend its reach in what is, on the back of immense change in the region, a growing market for professional services, Andersen Global has has entered into a collaboration agreement with the 50-person strong Alem & Associates, of which around 40 are based in the Lebanese capital city.

Commenting on the expansion, Mark Vorsatz, Global Chairman of Andersen Tax, said, “Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are key markets as we expand our platform and continue to focus on best-in-class solutions in the Middle East. A firm with the quality of Alem & Associates gives us a strong foothold and puts us in a lead position in the region.”

Established in the 50’s, Alem & Associates has grown to become one the Middle East’s most prestigious professional services firms, combining expertise with a blend of knowledge of the local culture. The company, which provides a range of law and tax services, spanning international law, litigation, tax planning, employment & social security and intellectual property, among others, was last year named a top law firm by Chambers Global in all practices considered,* with four of the firm’s partners individually ranked in their field of expertise by the global law analyst company. 

Among Alem & Associates’ partners are Rola Tabsch Jaroudi (Head of the Beirut office), Jade Al Araoui (Head of the Dubai office), Omar El Assir (head of the Riyadh office). The firm’s most well-known partner however is Mohamed Alem, who is described by sources speaking to Chambers Global as “a sophisticated, knowledgeable and proficient advisor with a highly impressive track record of cross-border arbitrations”. The Lebanese national founded the law firm in 1953 and has led the firm since, in more recent years alongside his role as Chair of the Boards of the Lebanese Centre for Policy Studies and the Lebanese Branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.

Vorsatz remarked that he looks forward to working with Alem (“he is one of the top lawyers in Lebanon”) and his team, adding “he will play a strong leadership role in establishing our practice in the Middle East.”Speaking about the alliance with Andersen Global, Alem said, “Providing a tailor-made approach to the needs of our clients and the best legal solutions possible are our top priorities. Working with professionals that share this mindset is very important to us. Our collaboration with Andersen Global will yield great benefits, as we will be able to deliver a combination of tax and legal services that are not confined geographically.”

Andersen Global’s expansion deeper into the Middle East comes just months after the international association of member firms debuted the Andersen name in Ireland, Turkey, Canada, and Israel. In 2017, Andersen Global also admitted new member and collaborating firms in Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Canada, Ecuador and three African countries.

Meanwhile in the region, Kreston, a rival professional services network, last month expanded its presence in Palestine with the addition of Gaza-based Kanaan Firm, while in the fourth quarter of last year the French-origin advisory group Accuracy expanded into the Middle East with the opening of an office in Dubai.

* Alem & Associates’ full list of practices: corporate law, tax, mergers & acquisitions, real estate and construction, capital markets, employment & social security, banking & finance, energy and environment, aviation, intellectual property, franchising, technology, media and entertainment, defence, government investigations, litigation and international arbitration.