Sullivan & Cromwell LLP has opened an office in Abu Dhabi's ADGM (international financial center) and welcomed back Ahmed T. el-Gaili as a partner to lead its Middle East practice. The firm said the office will support clients in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and across the region through financing, regulatory and transactional advice, including complex cross-border and large-scale mandates. El-Gaili previously spent six years at Sullivan & Cromwell in London and has nearly two decades of regional experience advising sovereign wealth funds, state-owned enterprises, governments, corporates and private equity firms. His work covers M&A (mergers and acquisitions), private equity, joint ventures, project finance and development, and restructuring, particularly in energy, infrastructure, life sciences, telecommunications and technology. The expansion will also draw on partners Garth Bray and Umberto Hassan, and the firm has received full regulatory authorization from ADGM's Registration Authority.