Kirkland & Ellis Launches Middle East Practice Group with Addition of Partner Kamran Bajwa

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7/20/2011

Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Kamran S. Bajwa has rejoined the Firm as a partner in its Chicago office to help launch the Firm's Middle East Practice Group.

With more than 11 years of experience in private practice, corporate advisory and in-house roles in the United States and the Middle East, Mr. Bajwa has developed broad corporate and commercial legal skills, as well as a deep understanding of international business and emerging markets. He has advised on more than 50 major business transactions with a total deal value in excess of $12 billion and successfully established the first in-house legal department for the leading investment bank in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

"The Middle Eastern market has shown tremendous growth and diversification in recent years and is a significant region for the global economy," said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland's Global Management Executive Committee. "Kamran's knowledge and experience will benefit our clients doing business in the Middle East as well as our Middle East clients doing business in the United States and Europe."

After serving as an associate with Kirkland & Ellis from 2000-2003, Mr. Bajwa spent eight years working across the Middle East region in the financial services, private equity, investment fund, Islamic finance and M&A sectors. His experience includes serving as the chief legal officer of the largest investment bank in the Middle East, where Mr. Bajwa led the legal work for the bank's regional expansion and cross-border transactions, including corporate acquisitions, structured product offerings, and private equity and hedge fund formations. In 2008, Mr. Bajwa was a finalist for a global counsel award from the International Law Office in recognition for his work.

"I'm very pleased to return to Kirkland and be a part of the firm's global growth strategy. I am excited by the opportunity to work within the highly acclaimed platform that Kirkland offers its clients, and I believe that the creative, business-minded approach Kirkland lawyers are known for will be critical for complex, cross-border transactions between the United States and Middle East regions," said Mr. Bajwa.

Mr. Bajwa is fluent in Arabic and has pursued independent studies of Islamic law with leading scholars. He has also served as an advisor to international NGOs. His work has given him the opportunity to work closely with legal, business, political and social leaders around the world, including in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Spain, Hong Kong, the Gambia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, India, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP (www.kirkland.com) is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex corporate/private equity and tax, restructuring, real estate, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, and intellectual property and technology matters.  The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.

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