The offshore law firm Appleby said it plans to extend its global network with offices opening in Dubai and in Zurich.
The expansion will provide the firms clients with greater access to the high growth Middle East, Asian, Indian and African capital and to private bank and institutional services in Switzerland, said Appleby in a statement.
The new offices will begin operation in early 2009. The Dubai office will be staffed by two partners, including Jeanne Bartlett, head of the firms global structured finance practice, with another partner and an assistant.
The office will focus on investment funds, private equity, structured finance, major projects, property and private client services. Appleby said it had a significant inflow of work from the GCC region and the Dubai office and would ensure this is expanded directly into the core offshore markets which provided its Middle East clients with a significant choice of offshore jurisdiction.
The Zurich office will focus on both corporate and private wealth markets, providing private banks, wealth management and other institutions as well as Middle East- and Asian-based clients whose funds are managed in Switzerland with direct access to high level offshore services.
On the corporate side, the office will focus on the insurance and funds sectors to offer direct access to the firms specialist expertise in the Bermuda and Cayman markets. The office will be initially staffed by a partner and an assistant.
