Architects Of Trust: White & Case

With a Middle East practice going back more than 70 years, White & Case works where international capital meets local law, from corporate transactions to the development of major projects.

More than 70 years of regional work. An on-the ground presence since 1989. Offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Riyadh, plus an association in Cairo and a cooperation agreement in Muscat. That is the footprint of White & Case’s Middle East practice, and those distinctions matter (regional coverage here is delivered through different professional arrangements, not one uniform legal jurisdiction).

A major investment begins with expectations about the future, and its legal structure has to account for what happens when those expectations change. Ownership, operating responsibilities and routes to resolve disagreement all matter long after the announcement.

In the UAE, the firm’s Abu Dhabi office opened in 2007. Its stated areas of focus include projects, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and construction. That mix brings together the acquisition of businesses and the development of the assets they depend on. For investors, the questions can run from how a venture is financed to how responsibility is shared throughout its life.

In May 2025, White & Case announced that it had advised EOG Resources on securing an oil exploration concession for Abu Dhabi’s Unconventional Onshore Block 3. The firm’s account named lawyers in the United States, London and Abu Dhabi, drawing on project development and finance, arbitration, corporate and other disciplines.

The concession included an appraisal phase and the possibility of a subsequent production concession in which ADNOC could participate. Here, the sequence is the story: exploration, appraisal and potential production each bring different commercial questions. Legal advice has to keep pace with a project’s development, including decisions that are still contingent when the first agreement is signed.

Much of this legal work becomes visible only when an arrangement is tested. If Block 3 moves from appraisal to production, the responsibilities established at each stage will shape what the parties can expect from one another and the basis on which they commit further capital.