German independent Graf von Westphalen is set to launch an office in Turkey.

The firm will open the new office in Istanbul on 1 October through a joint venture with GSI Meridian, a local legal consultancy with five partners and more than 45 lawyers.

The new office will serve Graf von Westphalen's existing clients as well as Turkish companies looking to expand into Europe and China, while the firm is also planning to develop its Turkish practice across the rest of firm.

The launch will mark the firm's first new office since it opened in Shanghai three years ago. As well as offices in Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, it also has bases in Alicante and Brussels.

Co-managing partner Christof Kleinmann said that Turkey was facing a wave of infrastructural projects and privatisations ahead of its centenarian anniversary in 2023.

He said: "Turkey is the economic area in Europe with the strongest growth and it is becoming more and more important as a hub for Europe, Central Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. For Turkey, Germany is one of the three most important trade partners in import and export."

The news comes after Graf von Westphalen's Cologne and Freiburg offices split from the firm in July last year over conflicting ideas about the firm's strategy, with 50 lawyers including 25 partners departing to create their own partnership.