Stuart Cavet Appointed Kuwait Managing Partner

By: Dentons | 10 Shares 167 Reads

LONDON, March 20, 2012 - SNR Denton is pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Cavet as Managing Partner of its Kuwait office. Stuart joined the firm in July 2010 as a partner with over 15 years experience across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America in all types of corporate and energy-related work.

Having opened its office in Kuwait City in 2008, SNR Denton operates in association with International Legal Group and has a combined offering of 20 lawyers in the market servicing clients on a range of matters including energy, infrastructure and project finance, corporate and commercial, TMT, tax and litigation. The firm has had a constant presence in the Middle East for more than 40 years and presently has 10 offices in nine jurisdictions, with more than 170 lawyers and legal staff resident in the region.

This announcement builds on the arrival last month of oil and gas partner Karl Hopkins and his team who have extensive experience and capabilities in Kuwait. Hopkins, who joined SNR Denton's Washington, DC office at the same time as counsel Shon C. Ramey and foreign legal specialist Sinan Pismisoglu, specialises in the development, construction, start-up and operation of large international energy projects—a key area of growth for the firm.

Commenting on his appointment, Stuart said: "I'm pleased to take up this important role in the development and leadership of the firm's Kuwait practice. Recently, we have secured several high-profile instructions that reflect our strengths locally and globally drawing on sector expertise to deliver exceptional service and advice. I look forward to working closely with all our clients in Kuwait and welcoming new ones in the very near future."

Matthew Jones, EMEA CEO of SNR Denton, said: "Kuwait is a key market within our Middle East network and for a number of our global sector focuses, including energy and TMT. I look forward to seeing the office continue to grow under Stuart's leadership, with close support from our local partners and also from colleagues elsewhere in the region and the wider firm. These include Karl Hopkins, who recently joined us in Washington, DC and has an extensive practice in the Middle East, particularly in Kuwait. Recent high-profile mandates, including the Az Zour Independent Water and Power Project and the Kuwaiti Broadband PPP Project, are evidence of our existing successful platform in Kuwait and reflect the scope and quality of services that we are able to offer clients, both from the Kuwait office and also by drawing upon our deeper resource of 170 lawyers regionally—more than any other law firm."

SNR Denton and its associated Kuwaiti firm, International Legal Group, have recently won several major instructions including acting as local advisers to GDF Suez on their Az Zour Independent Water and Power Project. The project, procured under Kuwait's PPP programme, involves construction of a gas-fired combined cycle power plant of at least 1,500MW and an associated water desalination plant with a capacity of 102 to 107 MIGD (million imperial gallons per day). Expected to be operational in 2015, the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water will be the sole off-taker for the project, under a 40-year long-term energy conversion and water purchase agreement. The team includes Stuart Cavet, Mary Ann Sharp, Nora Al-Haroun and Kashif Syed in SNR Denton's Kuwait office working alongside Dr Rashid Hamad Al Anezi from International Legal Group.

Lawyers from SNR Denton's Kuwait and London offices and associated Kuwaiti firm International Legal Group also will be playing a key role in efforts to institute broadband access throughout Kuwait. Together with KPMG and Atkins, SNR Denton is advising the Kuwaiti Government's Partnerships Technical Bureau and Ministry of Communications on plans to upgrade the national fixed line telephone system to an all-fibre superfast broadband network. International investors will be invited to bid for a long-term contract to operate and upgrade the network under Kuwait's public-private partnership law. The team includes London-based Head of Corporate Richard Barham and Nora Al-Haroun in SNR Denton's Kuwait office, working alongside Dr Rashid Hamad Al Anezi and Dr Abdullah Al-Hayyan from International Legal Group.

About SNR Denton

SNR Denton is a client-focused international legal practice delivering quality and value. We serve clients in key business and financial centers from more than 60 locations worldwide, through offices, associate firms and special alliances across the US, the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS, Asia Pacific and Africa, making us a top 25 legal services provider by lawyers and professionals. Joining the complementary top tier practices of its founding firms—Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP and Denton Wilde Sapte LLP—SNR Denton offers business, government and institutional clients premier service and a disciplined focus to meet evolving needs in eight key industry sectors: Energy, Transport and Infrastructure; Financial Institutions and Funds; Government; Health and Life Sciences; Insurance; Manufacturing; Real Estate, Retail and Hotels; and Technology, Media and Telecommunications. Please see snrdenton.com for more information and Legal Notices.

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