DWF is launching an office in Doha, after receiving a licence to practise in the country from the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).

The office will be led by construction and infrastructure partner John Coghlan and will have a focus on construction disputes, infrastructure and energy.

The practice will be based in Al Fardan Towers.

Coghlan, who is currently based in Dubai, joined DWF in 2016 from Addleshaw Goddard, where he was a legal director in Doha for more than three years. Prior to that, he was a senior associate at Simmons & Simmons and an associate at Pinsent Masons.

CEO of DWF's international division, Stefan Paciorek, told Legal Week: "We have had clients in Qatar for a long time and a number of our European offices – for example, our Germany office – have strong ties to our Qatari clients. Qatar is a strong economy, with an abundance of natural resources and a programme of outbound investment in Europe – for these reasons it is a strategically important place."

Paciorek added that the office would be staffed by a combination of current DWF lawyers and external hires. He said: "I suspect we will make some hires in the strategic areas that interest us such as construction and projects. We are not known for being shy when expanding."

DWF's opening in Qatar follows a string of UK law firms pulling out of the country last year. In February 2017, Clifford Chance closed its Qatar base after roughly six years. In the same week, Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) also announced plans to shutter its operation in Qatar, saying that it made "strategic sense" to service clients from its Saudi Arabia and Dubai offices.

Paciorek said: "We are not Herbert Smith Freehills or Clifford Chance and we do not operate in the same markets. Sometimes a firm like ours, which is more of a disruptor, sees an opportunity to move in when others have pulled out."

This week, Legal Week revealed that DWF was also expanding into Turkey through an exclusive alliance with Istanbul-based firm Ozkan Law.

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