Herbert Smith has transferred London partner Stuart Paterson to the Dubai office to strengthen the firm’s litigation and arbitration practice, as the number of construction-related disputes surge in the region.Paterson will work alongside Dubaibased dispute resolution partner, Craig Shepherd, on commercial and banking litigation, ADR and risk management.
While the law firm had always planned to augment their Middle East Practice, this was accelerated to meet recent demand. “The original plan was to have a litigation partner in the second half of 2011,” - said Shepherd.
Law firms across the region have recently cited a massive increase in litigation and dispute work arising from the crisis-addled construction sector. Shepherd agreed that Herbert Smith was dealing with similar volumes. “There are now more disputes related to the suspension or termination of projects, or shareholder disputes in relation to project funding,” he said.