DLA Piper will guide Jordan's King Abdullah on media matters

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Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis meets with Jordan's King Abdullah II in Athens
REUTERS/Louiza Vradi
  • DLA Piper's Mary Gately, co-head of the firm's litigation group in Washington, D.C, is lead on new contract
  • The firm said scope of work could include public relations strategies

(Reuters) - DLA Piper will provide legal services to Jordan's King Abdullah II on matters associated with media coverage of him, according to a contract the U.S. Justice Department publicly disclosed on Thursday.

The global law firm's contract was released under the federal Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires law firms, lobbyists and public relations officials to disclose certain engagements with foreign clients.

DLA partner Mary Gately, co-leader of the firm's Washington, D.C., litigation group, said she would bill $1,335 an hour for any legal services that are provided under the contract. Large firms review their rates annually, and the rate could be revised for work in January, the firm said in its contract.

The scope of the work was defined as "legal advice related to potential defamation and other legal remedies associated with inquiries and/or articles concerning His Majesty King Abdullah II from media outlets."

"In the course of providing the legal counsel described above, the registrant may advise on public relations strategies and may engage in communications on behalf of the foreign principal with members of the U.S. media," according to the law firm's contract.

Gately did not immediately respond to a message on Friday seeking comment about the new work for King Abdullah, who has reigned since 1999.

King Abdullah, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, met with U.S. President Joe Biden in July. "You've always been there, and we will always be there for Jordan," Biden said then. He called King Abdullah a "good, loyal, decent friend."

DLA Piper reported $811,333 in income last year and $3.7 million in 2019 for work disclosed under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, according to the nonprofit research group Center for Responsive Politics.

Clients of the law firm include the Palestine Monetary Authority, Greece, the government of Timor-Leste, the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry and Innovation Norway.

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