Herbert Smith has bolstered its Dubai arm with the relocation of London dispute resolution partner Stuart Paterson to the region.

Paterson, who is set to relocate in September, will work closely with Dubai-based litigation partner Craig Shepherd and a team of seven associates in a bid to further strengthen the firm's disputes practice in the Middle East.

Paterson, who specialises in commercial and finance disputes as well as corporate fraud and asset tracing, was involved in the epic $485m (£294m) Talco dispute – one of the most expensive cases in British legal history – advising the Republic of Tajikistan in its dispute with a group of aluminium traders that settled at the end of last year.

Clients for the top 10 firm's Middle East disputes practice include Dubai Aluminium, Emirates Telecommunications, Tata, Marubeni and Millennium Finance.

Herbert Smith dispute resolution head Sonya Leydecker commented: "Since setting up two years ago our disputes team in the UAE has developed a highly credible and successful practice and Stuart's move will undoubtedly help us to further develop this capability."

Shepherd added: "With dispute resolution lawyers based full time in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Jeddah, and with our formal association with Al-Ghazzawi Professional Association in Saudi Arabia, we are now providing a comprehensive dispute resolution service to clients throughout the Middle East. Stuart's arrival will add further depth to the team and his expertise in matters of fraud and asset tracing will be invaluable in the current market."

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