Holman Fenwick Willan is set to launch in Geneva next month with the acquisition of UK shipping firm Davies Johnson's local office.

The office is led by international trade partner Jeremy Davies, who joins Holman along with two associates, one consultant and one business support officer. The move leaves Davies Johnson with a sole base in Plymouth.

Davies and his team will initially offer shipping and trade advice, with Holman planning to grow the office to cover insurance and reinsurance, corporate, projects and finance work over the coming months.

"Geneva has grown exponentially in terms of international commerce over the last five years and I felt that it was time to join forces with a big international firm like Holman to best take advantage of this," said Davies.

"People are staggered by how big trade is here, much bigger than London in many areas. UK lawyers are increasingly looking at the market which is currently wide open."

Holman managing partner Greg Gray said: "This was a natural choice for us. We have a long history of representing clients in Geneva and across Switzerland, and having a physical presence there opens the door for further expansion of our core capabilities."

The move comes as part of the firm's strategy to have an office in every key jurisdiction around the world, with a Perth launch currently on the agenda.

The firm has also recently taken on more office space in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong in preparation for further growth.