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Appleby to open Zurich office in December

Appleby says it will become the first member of the ‘offshore magic circle’ of international law firms to establish a presence in Switzerland when it opens an office in Zurich on December

Appleby says it will become the first member of the ‘offshore magic circle’ of international law firms to establish a presence in Switzerland when it opens an office in Zurich on December 15. The firm will also open an office in Dubai in the new year.

The Zurich office will focus on the corporate and private wealth markets, providing direct access to offshore services for private banks, wealth managers and other institutions as well as Middle East- and Asia-based clients whose funds are managed in Switzerland.

On the corporate side the office will focus on the insurance and funds sectors to provide access to Appleby’s specialist expertise in Bermuda and the Cayman Islands. The office will be initially staffed by a partner and an assistant.

The firm’s strategy has been to focus on jurisdictions that handle significant corporate or private wealth, and the new offices will provide clients there with access to other leading offshore jurisdictions including the British Virgin Islands, Jersey and Mauritius.

The Dubai office will be staffed by two partners, including Jeanne Bartlett, head of the firm’s global structured finance practice, and an assistant, and will focus on investment funds, private equity, structured finance, major projects, property and private client services.

Appleby already has a significant inflow of work from the Gulf Co-operation Council region, but it says the Dubai office will provide Middle East clients with a wider choice of offshore jurisdictions.

The firm has expanded rapidly over the last three years and now has a total legal and professional staff of more than 700, including 54 partners. In addition to the offshore centres, Appleby also has offices in London and Hong Kong.

‘Our driving strategy has been to be the leading provider of legal, fiduciary and administration services in the offshore world,’ says global group managing partner Peter Bubenzer. ‘We see significant opportunities in the Gulf region and the expansion of our private wealth business in the more traditional Swiss market.

‘The new offices will provide our corporate, institutional and private clients with greater resources both in the locations and time zones in which they do business and a broader choice across the key offshore jurisdictions to suit their needs. We believe the move will reinforce Appleby’s position as the first choice for clients in the offshore sector.’

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