The Gulf

• Dubai

  Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world with a booming tourist trade. The second largest city in the UAE after Abu Dhabi, Dubai has long been a major port – including the development in the 1970s of the biggest man-made harbour in the world. 

  
  

  It is also increasingly a centre for service industries such as IT and finance, with the new Dubai International Financial Centre. Transport links are helped by its rapidly-expanding Emirates Airline, created by the government in 1985 and still state-owned. The airline is based at Dubai International Airport and carries over 12 million passengers every year.

  
  

  Everything about Dubai is first-class from the gorgeously hot weather to the golf courses and nightlife – which includes some of the world’s finest restaurants and bars. Meanwhile a short drive brings you to rugged mountains and desert landscapes under huge cloudless skies.

  
  

  With its strategic location as a bridge between east and west, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a business hub for the Middle East. Like many of the world's multinationals, our Gulf headquarters are in the UAE. Our understanding of the local business environment enables us to work with government entities, locally owned companies and international corporations.

  
  

  As you would expect, we are fully conversant in all aspects of regulation and local law.  We're familiar with the issues our clients are likely to face in this market and have the expertise needed to support their businesses.  There are also opportunities for UK based trainee solicitors to spend six months on secondment to the Dubia office during their training contract.

• Qatar

  Doha is Qatar's capital, with over 60% of the nation's population resident there, Doha is the economic centre of the country.

  
  

  Al-Corniche, the city's spectacular seafront is unquestionably the highlight of the capital.  Doha Bay was carefully constructed to make an attractive crescent, along which run shaded footpaths.  From Al-Corniche it is only a short wal to the Museum of Islamic Arts which was designed by the architect responsible for the Louvre's iconic pyramid.  The museum houses the largest collection of Islamic art in the world, collected from across three continents.

  
  

  Much of Qatar's oil and natural gas wealth is visible in Doha, and it is home to the headquarters of the country's largest oil and gas companies. Doha's economy is built on the revenue the country has made from its oil and natural gas industries, and the Qatari government is rapidly trying to diversify the Qatari economy in order to move away from this dependence on oil.  This has seen the economy diversify into other sectors, which has presented many opportunities for overseas businesses and law firms.