Al Tamimi & Company is bringing in a lateral partner from US law firm Patton Boggs to lead its Qatar office.

The appointment of Jay Fortin as Doha managing partner plugs the gap left after corporate and commercial partner Ahmad Anani left for Latham & Watkins earlier this year.

Fortin, who is currently a partner in Patton Boggs' Abu Dhabi office, will join Al Tamimi in January to replace Anani as Qatar head.

His practice focuses on power and infrastructure projects and he advises on project finance, including the development, acquisition and financing of power plants, ports and transport projects and on aircraft and rail leasing. His clients include banks and financial institutions, private equity funds, developers and contractors.

Al Tamimi is one of the largest Middle Eastern law firms, with a total of eight offices in the wider region and more than 25 partners. The firm's Doha office focuses mainly on corporate, M&A and dispute resolution work and Fortin's hire will be seen as a boost to its efforts to enhance its projects and infrastructure capacity in the natural resources-rich country.

Al Tamimi founder and senior partner Essam Al Tamimi said: "Strategically Qatar is one of our most important jurisdictions and with his experienced leadership and expertise in the projects market, we will be able to capitalise on the region's growth in recent years."

The news comes as Qatar gears up for a host of infrastructure projects after winning the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup earlier this month. The win will see the emirate build new stadiums while upgrading its existing venues. SNR Denton advised the country on the successful bid, while Latham advised the US, one of the unsuccessful rival bidders.