DLA Piper is to move London project finance partner Debbie Barbour to Abu Dhabi next week (4 June), following last month's launch of the office.

Barbour will join London-based film finance partner Ken Dearsley, who has also relocated to Abu Dhabi.

News of the relocations comes as it emerged that DLA Piper has also hired a new construction partner for the office. Tim Burbury has joined as a partner from Minter Ellison Rudd Watts in Australia, where he was a senior associate. The moves will take the office to four partners and seven associates, with the firm hoping to have 20-30 lawyers by the end of the year, including one property partner who is expected to move from London during the summer.

Office head Stephen Webb said: "We are looking to build up the finance capability in general in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). We are strong in Islamic finance and want to broaden on the project finance side. On the projects and construction side we now have 25 lawyers in the UAE, and we only started that practice last year. It is very much a key focus to grow that group. It is a UAE-wide practice which we also want to expand into the Gulf region and north Africa."