Pinsent Masons has appointed former Norton Rose Fulbright partner Matthew Escritt to lead the firm's Middle East banking and finance practice from Dubai.

Escritt was with Norton Rose Fulbright for 19 years, the last eight as a partner in the banking and finance team, working in London, Moscow, and Singapore, the firm said. Escritt's Middle East experience also includes earlier stints in Dubai and Bahrain.

"Matthew is a banking and finance specialist, advising on all areas of structured cross-border finance, including syndicated lending acquisition, development finance, asset finance, vendor finance, and structured trade and commodity finance," the firm said in a statement.

It also said Escritt is familiar with both conventional and Islamic finance funding structures and advised on financial restructuring and insolvency mandates.

UAE and Gulf Cooperation Council regulators are eager to broaden the range and depth of products available in the Islamic finance space.

Michael Watson, head of the firm's finance and projects group, said Escritt will be based in Dubai and focus primarily on clients in the financial services sector.

"His experience and expertise will greatly strengthen the practice, enabling [it] to deepen relationships with existing clients as well as [develop] new ones. His appointment is another fantastic addition to our growing international capabilities," he said.

Pinsent Masons' multinational finance and projects group has made several other recent appointments, including those of Anthony Morton in Frankfurt, James Harris in Singapore, Jim Hunwick in Sydney and Eran Chivka in Paris.

Norton Rose, meanwhile, recently expanded its practice in the region with the hire of partner Nick Robinson.

Deirdre Walker, head of Middle East at Norton Rose Fulbright, said the firm wishes Escritt well in his future endeavors.