Eversheds Sutherland has strengthened its Dubai office with the hire of a construction disputes team from Reed Smith.

The firm has recruited highly rated construction partner Paul Taylor along with two other lawyers from the US firm's Dubai office.

Taylor has been based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for more than 10 years, spending five years at Gateley in Dubai prior to joining Reed Smith in 2012.

Eversheds Sutherland Middle East chair Nasser Ali Khasawneh said: "Paul is highly regarded as one of the lead construction disputes lawyers in the market, with over 10 years' experience in the UAE.

"Our arbitration practice has been growing steadily in the region, in Dubai, in Doha and in other cities, and we really wanted to strengthen that department with a major hard-hitting partner in construction and arbitration, so we are very happy to have Paul on board," he said.

Reed Smith senior associate Roberta Wertman will join Eversheds as a legal director alongside another associate.

Reed Smith Europe and Middle East managing partner Tamara Box said: "We wish our former partner Paul Taylor well. We remain exceedingly busy in the region and have the benefit of deploying considerable talent – both local and through our broad network of 27 offices – to meeting our clients' continuing needs".

Separately, Eversheds has shaken up its local management, with Jordan and Iraq managing partner Tawfiq Tabbaa taking up Ali Khasawneh's former position as Middle East managing partner .

Ali Khasawneh, who has moved into the chairman role, has also been appointed as head of the firm's TMT sector, succeeding Charlotte Walker-Osborn.

Ali Khasawneh said: "We have talked about internationalising our sectors – making sure our sector group heads are from all over the world – and I am happy to be an embodiment of that."

"Tawfiq has been a major force in the region – he is a great strategic thinker; he had the vision to set up the Iraq office in 2004 and he will do a fantastic job in that role."

Ali Khasawneh added that the firm was "seriously" considering opening an office in Jeddah.

In other management changes, Cambridge technology partner Simon Crossley has been appointed as head of commercial,and will succeed Bridgette Wilcox from 1 May, while London litigation partner John Kemkers has been named co-head of the firm's Africa group alongside Paris-based Boris Martor.

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