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46 ¦ FEBRUARY 24, 2020 EXPERT OPINION

Dentons Is Investigating Its Saudi Arabia
Office. Here’s What We Know.

By Vivia Chen

W Dentons offices in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Diego Radzinschi)
hen you run a law firm as gigantic and and divorce impoverished, young women at will,
far-reaching as Dentons, which is now essentially using them for short-term sexual rela-
the largest firm in the world (home to tionships, the source wrote.
10,000 lawyers in over 70 countries), complaints As a result, the source claimed the culture of the
about the misconduct of partners and manag- office was anti-women. As this source wrote to the
ers of any given office inevitably take on a local firm last fall: “This can have a really bad effect on
flavor. the ladies,” adding that women there are scared of
Such is the case with Dentons’ Riyadh office in the men.
Saudi Arabia. The other allegation this tipster makes is ar-
In early January, I got a long email, complete guably even more alarming: One of Dentons’
with exhibits, from an anonymous source who partners in Saudi Arabia has ties to Islamic ex-
claimed to be part of Dentons’ Middle East tremism, the source alleges. Included in the email
practice. were exhibits of an article for Cage, a controversial
This tipster had two major complaints. The first Islamic organization, that was allegedly authored
was that the Riyadh office is run by men who are by one of the partners. In the article, the author
polygamous and that, more disturbing, they marry called Americans “blood thirsty” and predicted

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