Abdullah Alsaeed represents Saudi and international clients in a range of commercial disputes and enforcement actions, and he advises government clients on significant regulatory projects.
Abdullah draws on his knowledge of Shari’ah law and Saudi laws and regulations, his bilingual fluency, and his ability to translate between the Saudi and international contexts to help clients minimize risk and succeed in Saudi Arabia. He assembles and leads teams of experts from across the firm’s global platform to advise on sophisticated regulatory and commercial litigation matters
Abdullah regularly represents or advises clients on:
Litigation, including commercial disputes, securities and bankruptcy litigation, and white collar investigations, before Saudi regulators and judiciary bodies
Regulatory projects, including drafting and updating laws and regulations
Governance matters for government and government-owned entities, including advice on internal policies, procedures, and charters, as well as regulatory due diligence
Abdullah complements his commercial work with an active pro bono practice, advising Saudi non-profits on organizational matters.
He formerly taught Islamic jurisprudence and law at Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.
Experience
Abdullah’s representative experience** includes advising:
Regulatory
The Council of Cooperative Health Insurance (CCHI) on drafting the Cooperative Health Insurance Law and its internal regulations
The Ministry of Sports on drafting various sports regulations
NCP on various PPP projects
Saudi Port Authority (Mawani) on the negotiation of three new container terminal concessions (BOT) for Jeddah Islamic Port and King Abdulaziz Port, Dammam
The Saudi Arabia Capital Markets Authority on various regulations, including drafting Mergers & Acquisitions Regulations
A government transportation authority on updating major sector regulations, including drafting the Public Roads Regulations
The Local Content and Government Procurement Authority on drafting the Local Content and SMEs Rules
The Ministry of Investment on drafting the Investment Law
Several authorities, including the King Salman Park Foundation, the Sports Boulevard Foundation, and others on drafting bylaws
Government entities regarding several regulatory reform projects, resulting in new regulatory frameworks and legislation
Disputes, Restructuring, and White Collar Investigations
The Creditors Committee in relation to the financial restructuring procedure for Ahmad Hamad Al-Gosaibi & Bros. Company and its general partners under the Insolvency Law, which at SAR32 billion (US$8.3 billion) is the second-largest debt restructuring in the MENA region
Al-Rajhi Bank — the largest Islamic bank in the world — as creditor, in connection with the debt restructuring of Hidada Contracting Co. Ltd — a leading construction company in Saudi Arabia — pursuant to the Saudi Bankruptcy Law
The Creditors Committee on the financial restructuring of Balsharaf
A Saudi listed company in the commercial court in connection with the company’s ownership rights in its subsidiary
A US public company in relation to a dispute concerning a representation in a huge government project in Saudi Arabia
A Saudi financial institution in relation to numerous disputes concerning margin loan transactions
A listed petrochemicals company in a number of commercial and administrative disputes and corporate governance litigations against the board of a subsidiary in commercial court
A company specializing in maintaining and operating airplanes in a dispute with a contractor
A multi-billion-dollar investment company in Saudi Arabia in an arbitration with a consultant
A Saudi public company in relation to a dispute concerning its trademark
A US public company in relation to a Serious Fraud Office investigation in Saudi Arabia
A company in a market manipulation case
Several multinational life sciences companies in support of internal and government-facing anti-corruption investigations
A number of Saudi listed companies in support of government facing anti-corruption investigations
**Firm experience prior to April 2023 includes work completed both at Latham and the Law Firm of Salman M. Al-Sudairi.
Qualifications
Bar Qualification
Saudi Arabia
Education
Master of Science in Banking and Financial Services Management, Boston University, 2016
LL.M., University of Southern California, 2014
LL.B., Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, 2011
In this In Practice article the authors consider the possible
implications of draft close-out netting legislation in the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on derivatives, repurchase and stock
lending transactions with Saudi counterparties. Originally published in the November 2024 edition of Butterworths Journal of International Banking and Financial Law.
Notice: We appreciate your interest in Latham & Watkins. If your inquiry relates to a legal matter and you are not already a current client of the firm, please do not transmit any confidential information to us. Before taking on a representation, we must determine whether we are in a position to assist you and agree on the terms and conditions of engagement with you. Until we have completed such steps, we will not be deemed to have a lawyer-client relationship with you, and will have no duty to keep confidential the information we receive from you. Thank you for your understanding.
