London firm forges links in Gibraltar

A THREE-PARTNER London firm has joined forces with a group of Gibraltarian lawyers to expand its practice on the rock.

Ilford-based Cornish & Co has linked up with the former Gibraltarian Attorney General John Blackburn-Gittings and law firm Charles Gomez & Co to form Library Chambers.

The new association is designed to bring services for domestic and offshore clients under one roof while consolidating Cornish & Co's presence on the island.

The firm has had an office in Gibraltar since 1992 specialising in offshore companies, trusts and tax planning and property sales and purchases in Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar.

It is permanently staffed by a paralegal, while senior partner Michael Cornish spends around half his time there.

When Cornish is in England another lawyer from the firm takes his place.

Cornish said: "I think this is a fairly unique step, but we've always been interested in doing business in Europe and this is a rather exciting way of doing it.

"I would hope that we can expand further in Gibraltar but it is a slow market and it is still suffering from the recession."