Bracewell & Giuliani LLP Opens Office in Dubai.

Former United States Consul General Leads Practice

DUBAI -- Bracewell & Giuliani LLP announced the opening of its office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates today. The Dubai office will be led by partner David M. Stockwell, a 25-year resident and legal practitioner and a former senior United States diplomat in residence there.

The Dubai office will advise clients on doing business in Dubai and in the other member-states of the United Arab Emirates, including operations in the new Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and on local labor law, commercial and corporate law, arbitration, licensing, litigation, energy and environmental matters in the Arabian Gulf region. Mr. Stockwell serves as a current member of the Financial Markets Tribunal of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, which hears appeals of regulatory/administrative rulings of the Authority, the regulator of activities within the DIFC.

A member of the Houston and International Bar Associations, Mr. Stockwell was born in Saudi Arabia and has lived in the Middle East for more than forty-five years. Mr. Stockwell's diplomatic career with the United States State Department also includes having served as Commercial Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait and as the Country Officer for Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in Washington, D.C. He is a past president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Dubai and Chairman Emeritus of the American Business Council of the Gulf Countries, the umbrella business grouping of all American Chambers of Commerce in the Arabian Gulf. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Cultural Foundation which was established by the Ruler of Dubai to own and operate the American School of Dubai.

"Dubai is an important emerging market for many companies, but the business environment is unknown to most organizations looking to expand into the market," said Mr. Stockwell. "Having lived and practiced in the region, I understand the environment. I know how to work with the government and the business community to provide guidance and leadership to clients."

"Multinational banking and finance companies are starting to shift important operations to Dubai, the Dubai International Financial Centre and the entire Arabian Gulf region. With Bracewell's focused expertise in energy, corporate law, finance, international law and tax planning, serving that region from an office in Dubai makes perfect sense and provides considerable synergy," said Patrick Oxford, managing partner of Bracewell & Giuliani. "Our firm's core competencies in energy, finance and international tax position us to add value for our clients operating in the Middle East just as we have done for them in the North Caspian, North Sea and Gulf Coast," continued Mr. Oxford.

About Bracewell & Giuliani LLP

Bracewell & Giuliani LLP is among the nation's most prominent law firms. With over lawyers in New York, Connecticut, Texas, Washington DC, Dubai, Kazakhstan and London, we are distinctively positioned to serve clients concentrated in the energy and financial services sectors worldwide. In 2005, former New York City mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani joined the firm as a senior partner. His international reputation for leadership and problem solving is a unique asset for our clients, which include Fortune 500 companies, major financial institutions, leading private investment funds, governmental entities and individuals. For more information about Bracewell & Giuliani, visit www.bgllp.com.