Fox & Gibbons looks East

Middle East law firm Fox & Gibbons has sent London partner Christopher Dixon to Istanbul to help establish its first Turkish office.

The firm said in the Turkish press that Dixon would be resident partner but now says Dixon, who has completed two stints at the firm's Dubai office, has "gone out for a period to establish and develop the office".

The office will be run in association with Turkish lawyer Ece Guner who said the office's main goal would be to organise joint ventures and investments between Turkish companies, particularly those in the energy sector, and foreign entities.

Managing partner Robert Sprawson said the firm had just completed an overhaul of the way it rewarded partners, creating greater incentives to resident partners in overseas offices in an effort to improve local performance.

Senior partner Robert Gibbons said unlike most other expatriate law firms in the Middle East, the firm was "rejecting the concept of a head office mentality" although overseas offices would continue to have access to London office resources.

Fox & Gibbons, the longest established UK firm in the Middle East, has offices in London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Gibraltar and Cairo.

It recently lost its Dubai partner Jeremy Key who set up on his own right in Nabarro Nathanson's office. Sprawson said a replacement for Key had now been found.