Doha, Qatar: Benefiting from the state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure in the country is essential to drive strong businesses and trade activities, said an official.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Charbel Maakaron, Managing Partner at Crowell & Moring said: “Benefiting from the great infrastructure we have here in Qatar would be vital for the region which makes our office a significant platform in the Middle East.
Doha is the only Middle Eastern office for the US-based law firm as it offers diverse pro bono services globally. Maakaron highlighted that the country’s well-built infrastructure in the past decade pave the way for numerous firms to establish their presence in the country, which in return contributes greatly towards the economy of the country.
“We certainly benefit from Qatar’s strong economy that we receive from the market. The focus is on sports, oil and gas, education, and all the areas like full-service platform legal affairs that can support clients. We also bring in international best practices and legal knowledge that supports our clients and their enterprises outside Qatar, in the US, and in other markets. Overall, it has just been very positive,” he said.
The law expert also stated that some of the clients include those in the oil and gas industry, education, infrastructure, aviation, and retail and hospitality sector, among which are thriving sectors of the country.
Remarking on the Qatar-US ties in trade activities and partnerships, Maakaron said “I consider it as very close contacts and friends and they have done tremendous work in promoting Qatar in the US and the US in Qatar including having briefings with the US ambassador in Qatar and hosting council delegation which was planned ahead of the energy forum January of this year.”
The official noted that the partnering Qatari entities have given a real boost to the firm in terms of its enhancing presence and work opportunities in the region. “The benefit of having a legal firm like Crowell and Moring goes both ways. Our presence in Qatar echoes in the Qatari market and often believe that we can operate in the regional force in Doha. It gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of who we work with and other jurisdictions which I think is also very valuable to our clients and of course, we benefit in terms of working for our Qatari clients in the Gulf State,” Maakaron mentioned.
However, with the organisation’s operation in Qatar, major events including FIFA 2022 hosted last year witnessed exceptional momentum.
He added “It was very impactful and we as lawyers could get in touch of those projects with clients who were delivering them. But obviously, the biggest buzz was around the World Cup itself and we were very involved both in the games and in helping clients deliver the projects as it was a lifetime experience. You cannot wish for anything glamorous and exciting and we know of more events in 2023 including the formula, the golf, the tennis and the Asian Cup that demonstrates Qatar is positioning itself as a sports capital in the middle east and we are happy to play a role in that.”
He also stated that with the rising projects in oil and gas and healthcare sectors, the company expects numerous investment opportunities such as the “green trend”, which is primarily clean-energy focused and green buildings among others.
