Blakes Expands into the Gulf

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TORONTO (JULY 27, 2009) – Blakes is pleased to announce that it is establishing a significant presence in the Gulf Region. The Firm has formed an exclusive association with the firm of Dr. Saud Al-Ammari in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia and will be opening an office in Bahrain. Both offices will open in the fall.

"In our efforts to better serve our clients' needs, we are continually seeking opportunities to broaden our presence in strategic areas of the world. Our offices in the U.S., China and the U.K., and our ongoing efforts in India and Europe, have contributed immensely to our ability to help clients capitalize on emerging markets in the international arena," said Brock Gibson, the Firm's Chair. "One growing area of opportunity for our Canadian clients is the Middle East and particularly the countries that are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). They are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, where a substantial portion of the world's oil and gas reserves are located. Our Firm's strength in key sectors like energy, infrastructure, corporate, banking, mining, communications and technology, combined with our leading M&A, securities, private equity and arbitration practices, make us ideally suited to participate in the increasing flow of business activities within the GCC and between Canada and the GCC."

Leading the Firm's Gulf initiative is Dan Fournier, Q.C., who is currently a Senior Partner in the Blakes energy and finance practices. Dan will chair the Gulf initiative, and Dr. Saud Al-Ammari, who will be joining Blakes as a Partner, will be the Managing Partner of the offices in the region.

Dr. Saud Al-Ammari has experience in a wide variety of corporate and commercial matters both inside and outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He served for 10 years as special counsel and later general attorney for Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, the world's largest oil producer and possessor of 25 per cent of world-proven oil reserves. At various times, he has also advised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in a number of capacities, including as general counsel to the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, as a member of the Kingdom's negotiation team for the implementation of the Kingdom's Natural Gas Initiative, and as chief legal officer for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the United Kingdom. Dr. Al-Ammari also participated as legal counsel and a member of the team negotiating the Kingdom's accession to the World Trade Organization and served as chairman of OPEC's legal defence team, which successfully handled major U.S. antitrust class action proceedings brought against OPEC and its member countries. He studied law in the United States and received his master of laws from Harvard Law School. He is licensed to practise law in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and he is a member of the Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., bars.

Dan Fournier has been with Blakes for the past 25 years. Over those years, he has been involved in both domestic and international financings primarily in the energy sector, and most recently, he has advised on the structuring of numerous private and public financings in the development of the oil sands and its infrastructure. His expertise also extends to structuring joint ventures between major energy participants and advising on shareholder agreements, joint venture agreements and corporate governance matters. Mr. Fournier is regularly sought as counsel by the energy industry to assist in major infrastructure projects, such as greenfield power projects, pipelines and processing facilities. In addition to his role as Chairman of the Gulf initiative, he will continue to be available to advise on financings both domestically and abroad.

Blakes has more than 550 lawyers and offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and China. Blakes was recently named "Canada's Law Firm of the Year 2009" in the Who's Who Legal Awards. Blakes was also named "Canadian Law Firm of the Year" for 2007/08 by Chambers and Partners, one of the world's leading publishers of legal directories and trade periodicals. In October 2008, and for the sixth consecutive year, Blakes was named one of "Canada's Top 100 Employers" in Maclean's newsmagazine. Blakes is the only law firm in Canada to receive such recognition six years in a row. And for the second consecutive year, Blakes was named one of "Canada's Best Diversity Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc., an award that "recognizes employers across Canada that have exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs." Blakes is once again the only law firm on the list. More information on Blakes is available by visiting the Firm's website at www.blakes.com.

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