A two-partner London firm has set up a Marbella office a year after joining forces with a group of lawyers in Gibraltar.

Ilford-based Cornish & Co hopes to tap into the large expatriate community in southern Spain by providing private and commercial client services.

Pilar Rodriguez, who has experience in private and commercial law in the European Union, will head the office with the assistance of Charles Peard Clark, a specialist tax lawyer.

Senior partner Michael Cornish, who will travel between London and Spain, said the move was part of the firm's general expansion in Spain.

The firm moved into Gibraltar in 1992, specialising in offshore companies, trusts and tax planning and property sales. Last year it joined forces with two Gibraltarian firms.