What is DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary?

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary: What the Name Means Today

If you're a UAE client searching for "DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary," you're probably looking at an old engagement letter, an arbitration award, or a contract clause naming this firm — and wondering whether it still exists. Short answer: the name is historical. Here's what actually happened and what it means for your file.

Quick answer

DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary was the transitional brand used after the 2005 merger of UK-based DLA, US-based Piper Rudnick, and US-based Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich. The firm dropped the longer name in 2006 and has operated as DLA Piper ever since. If a UAE contract, court filing, or arbitration document references DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, it's the same legal entity that today trades as DLA Piper, with Middle East offices in Dubai (Emirates Towers) and Abu Dhabi. No legal succession issue.

Where the name came from

The 2005 transatlantic merger created one of the world's largest law firms by headcount. For roughly a year, the combined practice operated under the full "DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary" banner to preserve goodwill across three legacy client bases.^[1]

By 2006, the firm rebranded to DLA Piper globally. The Gray Cary and Piper Rudnick names were retired. The legal entities behind the brand were restructured into a Swiss Verein, which is the standard structure for global law firm networks — separate partnerships in different jurisdictions sharing a brand.^[2]

Honestly, most clients don't care about the corporate history. They care whether the old name on their document is enforceable. It is.

Does the old name affect your UAE contract or award?

This comes up in three situations:

Old engagement letters. If you signed with "DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary" in 2005 or 2006, the engagement continues with DLA Piper. Successor-in-interest principles under UAE Civil Code (Federal Law No. 5 of 1985) treat the rebrand as a name change, not a novation. You don't need to sign anything new unless DLA Piper asks.

Arbitration awards and court judgments. A DIFC Court or onshore Dubai Court judgment naming the older firm remains enforceable. When enforcing, attach a short cover letter or affidavit explaining the rebrand. Most UAE judges and registrars are familiar with it — this firm has been on the ground here for years.

Contract clauses naming the firm as escrow agent, notice party, or counsel. Update them at the next amendment cycle. Until then, notice served on DLA Piper at its current Dubai or Abu Dhabi address is valid notice on the entity formerly known as DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.

What DLA Piper looks like in the UAE now

DLA Piper Middle East LLP operates from Emirates Towers Level 22 in Dubai and Al Sila Tower in Abu Dhabi Global Market. The Dubai office is registered with the Government of Dubai Legal Affairs Department to practise UAE law, and the firm has separate registrations for DIFC Courts rights of audience.

Practice areas relevant to most UAE clients: corporate M&A, real estate, employment, litigation and arbitration, and regulatory work in DIFC and ADGM. If your old DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary file involved a US lawyer (legacy Piper Rudnick or Gray Cary), that relationship may now sit in the firm's US offices — ask the Dubai team to route you internally.

One practical tip: if you're verifying credentials, search "DLA Piper" on the Legal Affairs Department's licensed firms register, not the old name. The old name won't return results.

When you should worry

Frankly, almost never. The only scenarios where the rebrand causes a real problem:

• A judgment debtor argues the named creditor ("DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary") no longer exists and the award is unenforceable. This argument loses, but you'll need to file an explanatory note with the execution court.
• A bank or registrar refuses to process a transaction because the named party doesn't match current records. Fix this with a one-page letter from DLA Piper on current letterhead confirming the rebrand.
• A statute of limitations question where you need to prove continuity. UAE Civil Code Article 473 governs limitation periods, and rebrands don't reset or break them.

If any of these come up, get a short confirmation letter from DLA Piper's Dubai office. They issue these routinely and usually at no charge for existing clients.

For older files, keep the original engagement letter, any renaming notices the firm sent between 2005 and 2007, and the current DLA Piper letterhead confirmation together. That three-document bundle answers every UAE registrar and judge question about continuity. Simple, and it saves an adjournment.

Need this checked for your situation? Talk to a UAE-licensed lawyer →

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