Dentons has expanded its corporate capabilities in Saudi Arabia with the hire of Corporate and Commercial partner Irfan Butt. Irfan joins from Khoshaim and Associates in association with Allen & Overy where he was counsel.

Irfan, formerly a barrister at the Inner Temple in London, is fluent in Arabic with over fourteen years’ experience based in Saudi Arabia. He is a corporate and commercial practitioner, specialising in government regulatory, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, employment and general corporate advisory work. He has expertise in advising on all forms of applications to government regulators including the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority, and advising major corporates on all aspects of doing business in Saudi Arabia.

Paul Jarvis, Dentons' managing partner for the Middle East, said, ""We're delighted to welcome Irfan to the Firm. Working alongside head of our Saudi Arabia practice Mahmoud Abdel-Baky in Riyadh, his vast knowledge of the market in Saudi Arabia will enable us to strengthen our corporate offering to businesses throughout the Middle East and beyond.""

Irfan's hire continues Dentons' strong period of growth in the Middle East, having welcomed six new partners in the past 18 months. Corporate partner Ala' George Musleh joined earlier this month in Amman, following the recent hires of Corporate partners Ziad Saad and Ghassan Shuhaibar and Energy partner Mhairi Main Garcia in Dubai, and Banking and Finance partner Stephen Knight in Abu Dhabi