Denton Wilde Sapte is to lose its Abu Dhabi office head but gain a technology, media and telecoms (TMT) chief in Dubai as UK law firms continue to fight for talent in the Middle East.

Dentons head of Abu Dhabi, Richard de Belder, is set to return to the UK for personal reasons at the end of July. Aviation partner Owain Jones will be the temporary head and Gulf regional manager Neil Cuthbert is leading a review to decide on a replacement.

De Belder will continue to be involved with Dentons' Islamic finance team from London, but his relocation will be a blow for the top 20 UK firm as it further dents its Islamic finance capability in the Gulf. The news follows the departure of finance partner Rahail
Ali to Lovells earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Dentons has hired technology and telecoms partner Chris Appleby as its head of TMT in Dubai. He joined at the end of June from Australian firm Clayton Utz and had previously worked in Linklaters' Hong Kong office.

Dentons IT and telecoms partner John Worthy said: "His leadership will concentrate the skills across our Middle East TMT practice, allowing us to capitalise on the huge opportunities in the region."

Dentons is also to move Dubai telecoms partner Rod Kirwan back to London in August, while corporate commercial partner Nouraddin Al Kheir has also been transferred to Abu Dhabi from Oman.

Elsewhere, DLA Piper has seen its Dubai managing partner, Jayshree Gupta, stand down. She has been replaced by international development partner David Church.

The partner moves come as firms in the region seek to hire associates to resource deals. Allen & Overy has around 10 corporate associates hired from top UK firms starting in Dubai over the next couple of months, while Lovells is also expecting to take on a similar number of lawyers.