Trowers & Hamlins has cut seven lawyers in the Middle East, with the bulk of the layoffs set to affect the firm's Dubai base.

Five lawyers have been laid off in Dubai, while the firm's Saudi Arabia and Oman offices are also affected, with one lawyer cut in each of Trowers' bases in Riyadh and Muscat.

All of the affected lawyers are associates in the firm's banking and finance department, which includes the project finance team.

Trowers has thus become the first UK-based firm to officially make redundancies in the Middle East, although it is believed that the widespread cutbacks currently being made by the UK's magic circle firms will also affect the region.

The downturn in the region has caught some expansive international firms off guard, with Trowers recruiting in a bid to expand its practice as late as last year. In July, the firm added to its Oman base with the hire of corporate partner Roger Byrne, who joined from corporate advisory company Charter Pacific Capital, taking the office's partner headcount to a total of four.

Trowers has a strong focus on the Middle East and also has offices in Bahrain and Cairo. In the UK, the firm has offices in London, Manchester and Exeter.