Waleed Nassar, Cross-border Disputes Partner with Substantial Middle East Practice, Joins Pillsbury in Washington, DC

“Pillsbury has long maintained strong relationships with clients based and operating in the Middle East,” said Firm Chair David Dekker. “As the number of Pillsbury clients in the region continues to expand, so too have the needs of the various entities we represent there. Waleed, with deep relationships throughout the Middle East and an established reputation as a go-to legal adviser for highly sensitive international issues and disputes, greatly enhances our ability to serve clients embedded in the MENA region.”

Nassar represents both Middle Eastern clients as well as foreign companies doing business in the region on a wide variety of transnational cases, including business disputes and matters involving U.S. sanctions laws. He has a wealth of experience managing complex legal matters, particularly in regard to helping foreign and domestic parties successfully navigate corporate and litigation matters involving complex international and U.S. laws, as well as the laws of nearly every country in the Middle East.

Nassar previously clerked for the Honorable Denise Page Hood, Chief Judge of the Eastern District of Michigan. He also interned with the United States Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York while in law school and served as a legal research fellow for the Institute of Development and Labour Law in Cape Town, South Africa. Nassar dedicates a significant amount of his practice to pro bono work as well, earning acknowledgment from the National Law Journal as an “Equality Trailblazer” in 2019 for his efforts to alleviate the plight of political prisoners across the globe.

“Waleed has earned a reputation as a trusted and pragmatic adviser on some of the most high-profile and complex international legal cases of the day,” said global head of Litigation Deborah Baum. “His grasp of the region’s nuances and legal complexities is impressive and aligns perfectly with our firmwide efforts to enhance our cross-border litigation and government enforcement capabilities. We are excited to welcome him to the Pillsbury partnership.”

Nassar’s arrival is just the latest in Pillsbury’s recruitment of high-profile practitioners with a substantial focus on international disputes. Other notable arrivals with impressive cross-border dispute credentials include corporate investigations, white collar and anti-bribery partner Audrey Koh in London; Richard Donoghue, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and former U.S. Acting Deputy Attorney General; the Honorable Rolando Acosta in New York, former Presiding Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department; former National Coordinator of the DOJ’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Program Mark Krotoski; international commercial litigator Willie Wood in Houston; former federal prosecutor Kimberly Jaimez; Ronald Cheng, a former U.S. Attorney’s Office Division Chief and U.S. Department of Justice Resident Advisor in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing; and Adam Goldberg, who has extensive experience in Asia-related investigations, litigation and arbitrations.

Nassar added: “Pillsbury’s deep and diverse litigation practice, plus its top-ranked international trade and sanctions team, are an excellent match for the clients I represent. The firm’s existing international disputes and arbitration capabilities are truly first class, and I’m excited to add additional experience in the Middle East to the firm’s already strong global litigation offering.”

Combining in-depth regional knowledge, Arabic fluency and global reach, Pillsbury has comprehensive experience advising clients doing business in the Middle East. From entity formation and project finance to acquisitions, growth, development and divestiture, Pillsbury counsels clients in the region on the full range of commercial transactions and handles all contractual documentation and disputes. The firm’s lawyers advise Middle East and regional businesses, multinational and major corporations, institutional clients such as government departments and agencies, and banks and financial institutions.