International law firms Ashurst and CMS have added partners to their ranks in Dubai.
Ashurst has appointed Shane Jury to the partnership, who joins the firm alongside senior associate Emma Tormey.
They join from Addleshaw Goddard, where Jury led the firm’s Middle East commercial disputes practice.
He specialises in commercial disputes and investigations with a focus on the financial services sector. July also has experience in civil fraud, shareholders’ disputes, and restructuring/insolvency related claims across arbitration and litigation in the DIFC and ADGM courts.
Tormey works on general commercial litigation and arbitration across a range of industries.
“We are very pleased to welcome Shane and Emma to Ashurst,” said Tom Connor, head of Ashurst’s disputes, investigations, and advisory division. “The Middle East is a key region for our disputes team.”
“We recently promoted Tammam Kaissi to partner in Riyadh and the recruitment of Shane and Emma is another important step in strengthening and diversifying our offering,” he said.
In addition to Kaissi’s promotion to the partnership, the firm hired corporate partner Vasi Papadopoulos in Dubai earlier this year.
CMS, meanwhile, has appointed partner Robin Balmer to support the growth of the firm’s banking and finance practice in the Middle East. He joins from Norton Rose Fulbright, where he led the firm’s banking and finance practice in Saudi Arabia.
Balmer will be based in CMS’ Dubai office, but his practice will have a considerable focus on Saudi Arabia, the firm said in a statement.
His practice focuses on asset finance, project finance, property finance, trade finance, and Shariah-compliant transactions.
“Robin’s arrival is a significant boost to our banking and finance capabilities in the Middle East,” said Adrian Bell, CMS partner and joint managing director for the Middle East and Asia. “His stellar reputation and extensive experience in the region, particularly in Saudi Arabia, will be invaluable as we continue to build a market-leading practice.”
This marks the fifth partner appointment by CMS in the Middle East this year, following the hires of Ken Wong, Rizwan Osman, Keith Bullen, and James Abbott.
