Morgan, Lewis & Bockius hired Tarek El-Assra as partner in Dubai from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he had headed that firm’s Islamic finance practice since 2011.

El-Assra advises on finance and general banking matters with a particular focus on Islamic finance and sharia-compliant financing. He represents financial institutions and corporate and family offices in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

“Tarek will further strengthen our Gulf Cooperation Council and international transactional practices while greatly enhancing our already leading cross-border Islamic finance and investment capabilities” said ,” said Ayman A. Khaleq , managing partner of Morgan Lewis's Dubai office, in a statement.

The addition of El-Assra takes the firm’s partner count in Dubai to 7.