Megren Al-Shaalan previously held the position of Senior Legal Advisor at the Royal Court in Saudi Arabia as well as the Secretary General of the National Legal Reform Committee at the Royal Court. He currently serves as Chairman of the Regulations Committee at the Royal Commission for Al-Ula.
Megren's practice focuses on public law, regulatory and legislative matters where he regularly provides advice on various matters relating to Vision 2030 and the related government initiatives. He has recently led the efforts in drafting a number of legislations and structuring various multi-billion projects as well as restructuring sectors in the Kingdom. In addition, Megren regularly advises on corporate and capital markets matters, M&A transactions and commercial disputes.
Representative Experience*
- Representation of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) on its SAR 96.0 billion/US$25.6 billion IPO—the world's largest IPO to date. The offering (excluding the over-allotment option) comprised three billion shares, representing 1.5 percent of Saudi Aramco's share capital, for gross proceeds of SAR 96.0 billion/US$25.6 billion.
- Assisting the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority in drafting the various sectoral and cross-sectoral legislations in relation to SEZs in the Kingdom.
- Advising the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia with restructuring the sector overseen by the MoC in the Kingdom, which includes 11 sub-sectors.
- Advising a GCC government in connection with its judicial reform initiative, assessing and providing recommendations with respect to judicial laws and regulations and the institutional set up of the judiciary.
- Advising The Red Sea Development Company in connection with the regulatory structure for a new special zone in the Kingdom and the regulatory enablers required for the Red Sea project.
- Advising the Ministry of Tourism on drafting the new Tourism Law in the Kingdom. The exercise included assessing the existing legislative and regulatory framework governing the tourism sector in the Kingdom, and conducting multiple international benchmarks and identifying best practices.
His previous experience at the Royal Court includes:
- Providing advice in relation to claims brought against the Kingdom or government entities;
- Leading the legal teams overseeing the regulatory and governance structuring of NEOM, the Red Sea Project and Qiddiya Project, all of which are Giga Projects owned by the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as managing the day-to-day legal affairs of the relevant entities during incubation;
- Drafting the regulation establishing the Strategic Management Office (the "SMO") at the Counsel of Economic and Development Affairs and supporting the SMO in relation to its day-to-day legal needs;
- Leading the efforts in drafting a number of regulations establishing government entities such as the Royal Commission of Makkah and the Holy Sites, the Royal Commission of Al-Ula, the Royal Reserves and the Royal Airlines and addressing legal and regulatory issues relating thereto.
*Includes prior firm representations.
Capabilities
- Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
- Artificial Intelligence
- International Arbitration
- Mergers and Acquisitions
Credentials
Education:
- Michigan State University - 2011 Master of Laws (LL.M.)
Admissions:
- Saudi Arabia