An International Firm with Saudi Roots

As one of Saudi Arabia’s premier law firms, we provide multinational clients with full-spectrum legal navigation through a seamless blend of international expertise and deep local insight.

Our Legacy: A Bridge to the Kingdom

Since 1978, The Law Firm of Mohamed Al-Sharif has been a foundational pillar of the Saudi legal landscape. We have served as a trusted partner and strategic guide for international companies entering and succeeding in the Kingdom, operating at the forefront of Saudi Arabia’s economic development, engaging in some of its most high-profile and consequential projects. Our long-standing presence has made us one of the most experienced and reliable firms for navigating the Kingdom.

International Standards, Local Roots

Our unique strength lies in our integrated team. We strategically combine legal professionals with extensive international experience alongside leading Saudi lawyers who possess deep local mastery. This enables our advice to be commercially sound by global standards while being practical, actionable, and fully compliant with local law, regulation, and cultural nuance. For our clients, this translates to clear, effective solutions without the friction or gaps.

Services

M&A

M&A

CMA

CMA

Finance

Finance

Competition

Competition

Registrations

Registrations

Liquidations

Liquidations

Immigration

Immigration

Secretarial

Secretarial

Labor

Labor

Tax

Tax

IP

IP

Due Diligence

Due Diligence

Expert Testimony

Expert Testimony

Government Contracts

Government Contracts

Arbitration

Arbitration

Notary

Notary

Industries

Technology & Data

Technology & Data

Construction, Engineering, & Design

Construction, Engineering, & Design

Real Estate

Real Estate

Mining

Mining

Healthcare

Healthcare

Energy

Energy

Transportation & Aviation

Transportation & Aviation

Trade & Maritime

Trade & Maritime

Hospitality

Hospitality

Family Offices

Family Offices

  • Mergers &
    Acquisitions

    We have advised on mergers and acquisitions in the fields of fashion retail, industrial gases, oilfield services, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and information technology, and regularly advise major clients in the acquisition and sale of business entities and product lines.

  • Company
    Formation

    We have successfully registered hundreds of small, medium and large limited liability companies, branches, professional services companies, temporary commercial registrations and technical and scientific offices in the Kingdom

  • Litigation

    We handle cases before various Saudi courts both on first instance and appeal, and have advised on all types of insurance matters and claims, contract disputes, fraud, bankruptcy and employment disputes

  • Corporate
    Restructuring

    We have handled a wide range of merger, acquisition and corporate reorganization and restructuring projects, including share transfers for mixed Saudi/foreign as well as Saudi/GCC entities, reorganizing a large local group and corporate splits for two U.S.-based multinationals, $46 million sale of majority interest in oilfield services company to foreign and local shareholders

  • Corporate
    Secretarial

    We provide annual license and registration renewals for 30+ foreign clients, with a wide range of offerings ranging from basic renewals to legal advice and support, amendments to foreign investment license and commercial registration certificates, replacement of general managers and directors and other services as needs may require.

  • Labor &
    Employment

    We assist clients with employment matters, including drafting and reviewing employment contracts for various types of employee, securing visas and advising on hiring, termination and benefits, and work rules for submission to the Ministry of Labor.

  • Intellectual
    Property

    We assist clients with employment matters, including drafting and reviewing employment contracts for various types of employee, securing visas and advising on hiring, termination and benefits, and work rules for submission to the Ministry of Labor.

  • Construction
    & Engineering

    We have represented a wide range of construction clients in contract negotiations, administration and claims. Recent infrastructure projects include representing a U.S. industrial gas company in acquiring equity positions in two Saudi firms; representing one Canadian and one European incumbent power company in contracts with the Saudi Electricity Corporation; representing leading global consulting and architecture firms

  • Liquidations

    We are currently handling 15+ liquidations of various types of local entity, including deregistration at the various agencies, obtaining final tax and labor clearance certificates, negotiating settlements with local partners, settlement of claims and all other complications that often arise with such projects.

Our Team

Al Sharif Law retains 50 highly experienced and level attorneys, paralegals, trainees, goverment relations representatives, and support staff.

Mohamed Al-Sharif

Founder

Mr. Al-Sharif is a Saudi trained and licensed lawyer who has extensive experience advising the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Justice, the mayor of Riyadh, the royal family, and other Saudi clients on their financial and commercial issues. His practice includes litigation before the Board of Grievances and Shari’a Courts, corporate mergers & restructuring, foreign investment, infrastructure, transportation, mining, independent power production, regulatory, and customs matters.

Christopher H. Johnson

Managing Director

Christopher H. Johnson, a U.S. trained and qualified lawyer, specializes in international and domestic transactions and claims, representing global firms in all aspects of international business. He has been active in Saudi Arabia since 1978 and has maintained an office in Riyadh since 1984. Chris has served as Chairman of AmCham Saudi Arabia, the Middle East Council of American Chambers of Commerce (MECACC) and KKR Saudi Ltd. He has participated in many U.S. Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) negotiations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council and served as an expert witness on Saudi law before various courts and arbitral tribunals and as an advocate and arbitrator in ICC Arbitration. His practice currently focuses on global financial institutions in all aspects of their global and local operations, cross border regulatory, corporate and commercial issues, corporate governance, registrations, liquidations, disputes and mergers & acquisitions. Previously, he served as Director, Chairman and President of the humanitarian air service provider AirServ, and as Commissioner and Chairman of Vint Hill Economic Development Authority charged by the Virginia General Assembly to develop a decommissioned U.S. Army base as a Northern Virginia neo-traditional town center.

Matthew Kirkham

Senior Legal Counsel

Matthew Kirkham, a U.S.-trained and qualified attorney, has been practicing in Saudi Arabia since 2016 and advises multinational companies on dispute resolution, white-collar crime and compliance issues, commercial contracts, competition law, and data compliance. He has established numerous LLCs in KSA and has handled several M&A transactions and corporate transformations. Before his time in Saudi Arabia, Matthew was a state prosecutor of white-collar, capital, and other major offenses, including trials, appeals and habeas corpus. He has argued before the Louisiana Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court. Clients have included Alibaba, Amazon, Amereller, Bentley, Bridgestone, Dell, Ernst & Young, European Union Commission, Embassy of Japan, Goldman Sachs, Google, Kingdom Centre, KKR, Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, Mitsubishi, Morgan Lewis, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) (secondment), Simmons & Simmons, Sumitomo Chemical, Taylor Wessing, and Uber. In the cultural and educational sector, he has represented World Learning in establishing its Saudi presence, and SpringerNature and MacMillan in their Saudi licensing and registration matters. Matthew has co-edited and contributed to the globally-circulated Saudi Arabian Update, and contributed to Data Guidance, a privacy intelligence platform for privacy professionals. In addition, has served as government relations chair for the American Business Group of Jeddah and finance chairman for MECACC.

Farishta Baha

Senior Legal Counsel

Farishta Baha is a U.S.-licensed attorney with over 15 years of legal experience. She currently serves as Senior Legal Advisor, advising multinational companies on corporate structuring, licensing, and complex transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and reorganizations. Her practice also includes advising on employment matters under Saudi Labor Law, with experience in drafting employment contracts and internal policies, as well as guiding clients through dispute resolution and strategic settlements. In addition, she counsels financial institutions and investment firms on cross-border services and regulatory compliance under the Capital Market Law and SAMA regulations, with particular focus on cross-border offering compliance. Earlier in her career, Farishta practiced construction litigation in Illinois, where she represented owners, architects, general contractors, and subcontractors in matters involving personal injury claims. She also handled liability claims arising out of transportation accidents (trucking, auto), premises liability, as well as general casualty claims.

Waleed Mousa

Senior Legal Counsel

Waleed Mousa, a Sudanese and UK trained and qualified lawyer, specializes in commercial and corporate law. Waleed primarily advises local and international clients on corporate registrations, conversions, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring, liquidations, customs regulations, compliance, contracts, intellectual property, and real estate issues. In the corporate realm, Waleed counsels international companies across various sectors in corporate registrations, advisory and governance matters, corporate re-organizations, and mergers and acquisitions in all type of companies and JVs, industrial, services, trading, real estate, professional and engineering, industrial licenses, environmental licenses for industrial plants, industrial waste management agreements, industrial lands lease agreements with various industrial cities around Saudi, civil defense and industrial cities regulations, raw material regulations and exemptions, and other domains. His comprehensive approach to corporate law reflects a commitment to providing strategic counsel that aligns with the evolving needs of businesses. Waleed's practice extends beyond corporate and employment matters to include advising financial institutions on the cross-border provision of financial services. His role involves navigating the complexities of regulatory frameworks, particularly under the Saudi Capital Market Authority Law and regulations, where he provides insightful counsel to financial entities, facilitating their compliance with legal requirements and optimizing cross-border operations for a variety of clients.

Mohalab Osman

Senior Legal Counsel

Mohalab Osman, a Sudanese trained and qualified lawyer, is an experienced attorney with a Bachelor of Arts in Shari'a and Law from Omdurman Islamic University and a post-graduate diploma in Law from Khartoum University. In his role as the head of litigation at Al-Sharif Law, Mohalab is responsible for managing a diverse range of legal issues, including contract disputes, criminal matters, and commercial disputes. His expertise extends to various facets of employment law, including contract drafting, workplace investigations, disciplinary matters, and resolution of employment disputes. His thorough approach to legal matters reflects a comprehensive understanding of both litigation and employment law intricacies. Mohalab brings unique and extensive experience with the Saudi legal system and has successfully overseen a wide variety of complex litigation cases and corporate matters. His clients have included industry-leading companies, public institutions, and high-profile individuals.

Ali Al-Shehri

Senior Attorney

Ali Al-Shehri, a Saudi trained and qualified lawyer, has served as a Senior Saudi Attorney with Al-Sharif Law Firm since 2011. He specializes in commercial and civil claims, with special experience in commercial law, anti-money laundering regulations, copyright issues, trademark registrations, appeals, and estate planning. Ali also serves as an Advisor to the Legal Committee of the Council of Ministers, responsible for drafting and reviewing proposed and existing laws. Ali is admitted to practice in Saudi Arabia (Ministry of Justice Law License No. 29/46), is a Ministry of Justice recommended arbitrator and holds an LL.B. from King Saud University.

Osama Al-Masud

Senior Attorney

Osama Al-Masud a Saudi trained and qualified lawyer, has worked as a senior attorney at Al-Sharif Law since 2014. He specializes in complex commercial, civil, and real estate litigation, and has particular expertise in commercial law, large estate cases, and serves as a consultant for several companies involved in financial technology, real estate fund establishment, and the formation of financial companies and investment entities, and he is proficient in filing appeals and cassation requests, as well as resolving major disputes. Additionally, Osama is proficient in drafting contracts and agreements in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He serves as a consultant for fintech (financial technology) companies and artificial intelligence technologies, with multiple contributions to legal technology. Osama is also actively involved in corporate governance, preparing and auditing internal regulations.

Business Dispatch

Our industry-leading business dispatch provides monthly legal and economic updates on the Kingdom.