Trowers & Hamlins has made seven Middle East lawyers redundant - five in Dubai, one in Muscat and one in Riyadh.  Although these are the first confirmed Middle East redundancies, it is likely that there may have been earlier layoffs - other international firms which have announced global cutbacks have been coy about the exact geographical spread of such cuts.

However it is clear that Trowers, which has an association with the Gulf spanning 50 years, is still optimistic about its future in the region. The firm recently became the first international firm to enter the Syrian legal market, after striking an association with domestic firm Sultans Law, a move which was said to be driven by increasing demand for international commercial and corporate law advice.

The firm also has offices in Bahrain and Cairo, in addition to its UK  offices.