A major US law firm with a large London headcount is urging staff to return to their desks in the Middle East in less than a week, City AM understands.
Return to Office Mandate
The firm has asked all employees to be back in the Abu Dhabi office by 4 May and has agreed to cover any relocation costs for those returning. It is understood that its regional office is open, and some staff have already returned.
This comes in a press statement from Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which has a City office, saying it is reopening offices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), including Abu Dhabi, for employees who had fled at the beginning of the Iran war and were told to work from home.
Cleary said its Abu Dhabi office is “open to all staff that wish to go in” but it “will continue to be accommodating of and flexible” to its employees. The firm added that it will “continue to provide the highest standards of service to our clients at all times.”
WFH No More
Law firms have been expanding in the UAE, with the region ranking as a top destination for British lawyers to relocate, driven by vast government investment, including in Saudi Arabia, to move away from oil dependence and bolster the professional services sector.
Reports from 2025 and early 2026 from the Law Society and Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) estimated there to be between 500 and 700 English and Welsh qualified solicitors practising in the region.
However, at the start of the Iran conflict, many lawyers based in the Gulf were advised to work from home, as firms offered remote working policies for staff in these regions in line with official guidance, as the UK Home Office advised British Nationals to “stay away from doors and windows”.
Baker Mackenzie, Clyde & Co, and Addleshaw Goddard are among those that urged staff in the Gulf to work from home. Many lawyers and other professionals flew back on the limited flights, leaving the region to the UK to work from home while the Middle East was being hit by missiles.
Now, as the situation stabilizes, firms are beginning to call employees back. Cleary Gottlieb's move signals a broader trend of law firms resuming normal operations in the Gulf, balancing client service with employee safety and flexibility.
