White & Case is set to become the latest firm to open in Dubai after obtaining a licence to practise in the emirate.

It is understood that the US firm will relocate a team of lawyers to run the new outpost, which will function as an offshoot of its operation in Abu Dhabi.

The firm is still determining how the operation will be staffed, with an announcement due after the Eid holidays in early August. According to regulatory requirements, at least five lawyers are required to staff the base. 

A spokesperson for the firm said: "We are pleased to confirm that White & Case has received a licence to practise law in Dubai. Our presence in Dubai is an extension of our expanding practice in Abu Dhabi."

White & Case's Abu Dhabi team currently comprises eight partners and 13 associates, according to the firm's website, with two partners splitting their time between Abu Dhabi and London and one between Abu Dhabi and Doha.

In the Middle East the firm also operates out of Riyadh, after sealing an association with Dr Waleed Al-Nuwaiser – formerly Gide Loyrette Nouel's local alliance partner – in 2010. It also has an office in Doha, which opened in 2009.

The news comes after fellow US firm Shearman & Sterling confirmed it is also looking to expand beyond its established Abu Dhabi base, with a new office in Saudi Arabia on the cards and the firm also mulling its options in Dubai and Qatar.

Other UK law firms to have launched in Dubai during the past year include Berwin Leighton Paisner, CMS Cameron McKenna, Addleshaw Goddard and Stephenson Harwood.