Wragge & Co has launched a branch in Dubai, marking the UK top 30 law firm's entry into the largest legal market in the Middle East.

The office opened today (6 September) under the firm's existing joint venture with local lawyer Mohamed Al Mehairi – Wragge & Co Legal Consultants – which was set up in December last year when the firm launched in Abu Dhabi.

The new office will be headed by local managing partner Jane Pittaway and chairman and senior partner Al Mehairi, who currently jointly head up the firm's Abu Dhabi base, and will now split their time between the two offices.

There will be no new hires for the office. The 122-partner firm currently has a total of seven lawyers in the region who will now work across both bases.

The Dubai launch underlines the current shift in Wragges' once famously UK-centric strategy in favour of international expansion. The Dubai arm marks Wragges' sixth office outside the UK with the firm now having European practices in Paris, Brussels and Munich and a Guangzhou branch in China.

Wragges senior partner Quentin Poole (pictured) commented: "Our strategy is to increase the proportion of revenue from international work, through cross-border instructions led out of the UK and income from overseas offices. The Gulf region is full of opportunity for growth in areas in which Wragges excels – healthcare, projects, real estate, construction, dispute resolution and arbitration. We have something different and compelling to offer."

Aside from international expansion, Wragges confirmed in June this year that it was interested in securing a sizeable merger in London. The firm said it was looking for a tie-up to expand its City practice and is targeting either a sizeable London firm or a respected boutique.

For more, see Expansive Wragges casts around for 'quality' City merger deal.