Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is luring British lawyers to work on mega projects in Saudi Arabia with luxury benefits, including free housing and private school fees for their children.
These concessions are part of a broader strategy to attract the best talent to help achieve the Crown Prince’s Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.
State-owned companies in Saudi Arabia, such as Saudi Aramco, offer a range of attractive incentives to attract lawyers from elite law firms. Saudi Aramco, which is responsible for the King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) – an industrial city linking the kingdom's port, airport and highways – provides thousands of pounds in relocation allowances, private school fees for children studying abroad, and free MBA courses. In addition, employees enjoy up to 48 days of paid vacation and holidays annually.
Lawyers working in NEOM, the futuristic $1.5 trillion (£1.2 trillion) desert city owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, receive similar benefits. Benefits include free accommodation, five-star meals, monthly plane tickets, along with six-figure salaries and significant tax-free bonuses.
The allure of the Saudi offering is attracting many ambitious British lawyers looking for lucrative, career-defining projects, as opportunities in Dubai become more stagnant. “The types of opportunities you will get in Saudi Arabia if you go there over the next five to 10 years will greatly exceed being in Dubai,” noted one legal recruiter.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has ramped up the hiring of foreign and local lawyers as part of Crown Prince Bin Salman's strategy to diversify the economy away from oil through large-scale infrastructure and energy projects. This has prompted UK law firms to set up offices in the Kingdom following a series of legal reforms, although some firms are now facing difficulty recruiting due to the country's hiring spree.
One senior partner in the Middle East pointed out that the benefits offered by Saudi companies pose a major challenge to law firms, even though in-house lawyers typically charge less than their counterparts in the private sector. Magic Circle law firms in the UK, including Clifford Chance, Linklaters and A&O Shearman, are among those benefiting from the rapidly expanding Saudi economy.
However, this recruitment campaign sparked criticism from the gay community due to Saudi Arabia's strict anti-gay laws. Despite these concerns, the Kingdom's ambitious plans and generous offers continue to attract the best legal talent from around the world.
