Taylor Wessing is venturing out of European borders and launching a Dubai office through a merger with its Dubai-based associated firm Key & Dixon.
The merger, which cements a five-year relationship between the two firms, marks the launch of Taylor Wessing Middle East, which will be led by partner Christopher Dixon.
“With the large number of UK and US firms that are setting up in Dubai, it seemed to make sense to join forces and gain weight in the region,” said Taylor Wessing managing partner Michael Frawley.
“We had a lot of European clients doing transactions into or through Dubai, and they wanted increased strength and depth in the offering,” Frawley continued. “We also had a lot of our high-net-worth clients doing business in Europe.”
Under the arrangement, current Key & Dixon partners Dixon, Osama Hassan, Jerry Parks and Pier Terblanche and their team of eight associates will remain in the office, which will eventually house 15 lawyers and two consultants.
The merged office will work under a profit-sharing arrangement and will house a full-service offering with a focus on real estate and associated finance work, litigation and arbitration.
“There’s also a view to develop the Islamic finance offering and we’re keen to build it up,” Frawley added.
Despite this move, Frawley affirmed that Taylor Wessing will remain a firm with a European focus and that it has no plans to “go global”.
