DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – June 8, 2024 – Global law firm Greenberg Traurig received the "Employee Well-Being" and the "Deal of the Year" awards at the inaugural LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards 2024, held at The Ritz-Carlton in Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on June 6. The LexisNexis Middle East Legal Awards 2024 celebrates achievements, innovations, and contributions to the legal sector in the Middle East.
The Employee Well-Being award acknowledges the law firm or in-house team that shows the strongest commitment to a work environment supporting the mental and physical health of its members, enabling them to maintain a healthy balance between work pressures and home life.
In receiving this award, Greenberg Traurig is recognized for its implementation of a series of enhanced employee well-being measures in the firm’s UAE office. These include an equal employment opportunity policy, global health care benefits, comprehensive training opportunities, an agile working policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion programming, comprehensive benefits packages, wellness initiatives, and a multitude of employee well-being features incorporated into the firm’s new offices design.
“We are honored to receive this award that recognizes our significant efforts to date in creating a highly supportive environment where individuals feel empowered to succeed,” said Sarah Mahood, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s UAE office and co-head of the firm's Regional Real Estate and Hospitality Practice. “We continue to implement initiatives that exemplify why Greenberg Traurig is one of the best places to work in the region.”
The Deal of the Year award recognizes a law firm involved in a major transaction completed in 2023 or 2024 that is significant in its level of complexity, high value, innovation in legal practice, or political or social implications.
In receiving this award, Greenberg Traurig is recognized for representing the Saudi Esports Federation in connection with establishing and managing the legal framework for the groundbreaking Esports World Cup, the largest multi-title esports festival in the world. Firm attorneys, under the leadership of David Schulman, played a key role in engaging top international esports clubs in connection with the inaugural 2024 Esports World Cup, including providing the Saudi Esports Federation with guidance regarding novel esports legal issues, as well as drafting and negotiating agreements with the largest esports clubs in the world. They worked across multiple time zones to negotiate terms with esports clubs from Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, South Korea, France, Singapore, Armenia, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.
“Achieving the Saudi Esports Federation’s goal in this matter was highly fulfilling. It was possible due to the capabilities of Greenberg Traurig attorneys with sector-specific experience across multiple areas of law who provided the federation with a strong combination of global industry experience coupled with local knowledge in Saudi Arabia,” said Steven Bainbridge, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s UAE office and co-chair of the firm’s Sports Business Industry Group. “We look forward to our continued work with such dynamic clients in this rapidly transforming region.”
Along with Bainbridge, Greenberg Traurig attorneys representing the Saudi Esports Federation in the initiative are Shareholder David I. Schulman, co-chair of the firm’s Global Video Games & Esports Practice; Khalid A. Al-Thebity, Greenberg Traurig’s Middle East regional chair (KSA/UAE) and managing shareholder of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia office; Of Counsel Stephanie Perron and Associate Andrew Moroney.
Greenberg Traurig and its attorneys were also shortlisted in several categories in the awards series, including Legal Personality of the Year, the Lifetime Contribution Award, AI Innovator of the Year and the Award for Business Development and Client Focus.
Greenberg Traurig’s United Arab Emirates office is operated by Greenberg Traurig Limited.