Banking & finance expertise
Today, the firm has seven partners and continues to focus on its original strengths of banking and finance, with renowned strengths in mergers & acquisitions, securities, and capital markets. The firm also continues to build on Hassan’s original vision of partnership and collaboration. “We focus a lot on the individual and on creating a collaborative environment,” says Noor. “We all own the business, the outcomes, the problems and the challenges together. And the culture of respect, support and professional communication enables the partners to pass on their knowledge and experience to younger members of the team.”

Over half a century, the firm has trained many talented young lawyers who have gone on to work in-house in Bahrain and beyond, creating an informal alumni network of advocates for best practice. “We like to see ourselves enhancing the legal profession beyond our own interests,” says Noor.

And Hassan Radhi is certainly an outwards-looking organisation. “The challenges we face in Bahrain are similar to the market as a whole, such as rapid changes in geopolitics, macroeconomics, regulation and technology,” says Noor. “We are constantly adapting to these factors and receive great support and insights from Lex Mundi in navigating them."

"Then there are challenges that are more specific to Bahrain. For instance, the law markets are opening up across some of our neighbouring countries, which is good. Of course, it could mean less work for us but, at the same time, it comes with its opportunities. It’s also good for Lex Mundi. For instance, there have been a lot of new member firms joining the network in the Middle East and we have already held some round tables in Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai with additional session planed in Oman that will be of interest to their clients, and help to bring all the firms together.”

Learning from Lex Mundi
Hassan Radhi joined Lex Mundi back in 2000, and Noor is now a member of the board of directors. 

“The global reach is extraordinary,” she says. “When we say that Lex Mundi provides access to expertise and practitioners across 125 jurisdictions, that really is the case. I can approach lawyers in any of these member firms, and it’s a natural and pleasant way of working."

“Our involvement has grown over time,” she adds. “We’ve become more and more involved, especially tapping into the strategic thinking around current issues, trends and challenges through the institute training courses, networking events and conferences. It’s amazing what’s available and it has inspired us to do many things. One example is introducing an annual client questionnaire. This is very helpful in enhancing our services, overcoming our shortcomings and serving the clients better. It’s a small exercise, but a really big outcome. Another example is Equisphere, which allows us to serve clients through a centralised point of contact while drawing on the resources of a team with knowledge and experience across multiple jurisdictions.”

Legal minds are creative
Music was Noor’s first love and she continues to channel that sense of creativity into her legal career. “What I enjoy most about my job is that every day is different,” she says. “The clients, issues, sectors and challenges are always changing, and there's always something new to learn."

“I often say to my colleagues, we have to meet a deadline but we are artists and you cannot tell an artist to finish a painting by 5pm because that’s not how creativity works. So we have to reconcile those aspects of what we do and I really enjoy that side of the job – thinking outside of the box, challenging yourself to meet challenges and restrictions. That’s also what I love about Lex Mundi. There’s always something new to see, and something more to learn. It's a very enriching experience.”