DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – June 18, 2024 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP received the Deal of the Year award at the inaugural LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards. The event, which took place June 6 at The Ritz-Carlton in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai, celebrated significant achievements, innovations, and contributions to the legal sector in the Middle East. Greenberg Traurig also was honored at the event with the “Employee Well-Being” award.
The Deal of the Year award recognizes a law firm involved in a major transaction, completed in 2023 or 2024, that is considered significant for its level of complexity, high value, legal innovation, and political or social implications.
Greenberg Traurig won for its work establishing the legal framework for the Esports World Cup, the largest multititle esports festival in the world. Shareholder David I. Schulman, co-chair of the firm’s Global Video Games & Esports Practice, led a Greenberg Traurig deal team that provided guidance to the Saudi Esports Federation. The team advised on novel esports legal issues and engaged with the largest esports clubs worldwide, coordinating efforts across multiple time zones and countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Armenia, Brazil, South Korea, and Singapore.
“It was tremendously rewarding for Greenberg Traurig attorneys to achieve success for the Saudi Esports Federation in their efforts to establish the groundbreaking Esports World Cup. By deploying our attorneys’ substantial experience across multiple jurisdictions, in combination with our deep expertise in both esports law and the local Saudi market, we were successful in providing the legal counsel needed to complete this complex transaction,” Schulman said. “Receiving this recognition for our role in such a historic initiative is a true honor, and we thank the Saudi Esports Federation for their trust in our abilities.”
In addition to Schulman, the Greenberg Traurig deal team included Shareholders Khalid A. Al-Thebity and Steven Bainbridge, Of Counsel Stephanie Perron, and Senior Associate Andrew Moroney.
Greenberg Traurig’s United Arab Emirates office is operated by Greenberg Traurig Limited.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2750 attorneys in 47 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 500. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.