Allen & Overy (A&O) has named M&A and equity capital markets lawyer Khalid Garousha as its new regional managing partner for the Middle East and Turkey.

Garousha, who has been at the firm for two decades having joined as an associate in 2000 from CMS, replaces outgoing regional head Ian Ingram-Johnson after four years in the job. Garousha steps up from his role as leader of the firm’s Middle East corporate practice.

Gareth Price, A&O’s global managing partner, said: “The Middle East and Turkey offices are a vital part of the firm; a leading presence in the region and well integrated in the entire Allen & Overy network."

Garousha, who is based in the firm’s Abu Dhabi office, will maintain his client-facing work and will continue to advise on M&A and equity deals. Ingram-Johnson, meantime, will remain in the firm’s Dubai office, focusing on banking and finance, projects and real estate for sectors such as energy, infrastructure and financial institutions.

He said: “It is with great confidence that I pass the torch on to Khalid who has long been a natural leader and has a wealth of experience across the region having served our clients from our Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices for over 20 years."

In April, three of the 29 new partners appointed by A&O were from the region now managed by Garousha: corporate partner Ben Ward and arbitration partner Kirsten O'Connell, who are both based in Dubai, and Istanbul-based banking specialist Umut Gurgey.

In February, the firm introduced enhanced parental leave in the United Arab Emirates.

Last week, Squire Patton Boggs hired Islamic finance expert Ahmed Butt from Simmons & Simmons in Saudi Arabia in a bid to expand its Middle East banking practice. That move followed its expansion in the UAE earlier in the year when the firm absorbed Winston & Strawn’s Dubai office, including Winston’s Middle East managing partner Campbell Steedman.

In February, Jones Day appointed international disputes and investigations specialist Sheila Shadmand as partner-in-charge of the its Middle East Region.