Baker Botts has hired former Lovells Middle East head Shibeer Ahmed in a boost for its Dubai project finance practice.

Ahmed (pictured) joined the US firm's Dubai office earlier this month – having left Lovells at the end of April. He had headed Lovells' Middle East practice since its 2007 launch.

Ahmed's practice focuses on conventional banking and infrastructure and power project finance. He also specialises in Islamic finance, in particular project, structured and syndicated financings.

He relocated to Dubai from London in 2007, when Lovells launched in the Middle East with the hire of Islamic finance partner Rahail Ali from Denton Wilde Sapte.

In the wake of Ahmed's resignation, Lovells has sent London corporate partner Nick Parden to Dubai to co-head the regional practice with Ali, who also heads the firm's Islamic finance practice.

Commenting on the hire, Baker Botts' Dubai head David Emmons said: "Shibeer's development of one of the leading international infrastructure project finance practices over the past few years will help us continue to improve service to our clients in the Middle East and around the world."

Baker Botts opened in Dubai in 2005 but has been present on the ground in the Middle East since 2001 when it set up a Saudi office in Riyadh in association with the Law Office of Mohanned bin Saud Al-Rasheed.