New Zealand-based Kensington Swan will become the first kiwi firm to have a presence in the Middle East when it launches an office in Abu Dhabi in late December.

The firm said the venture was prompted by demand as more of its key clients – from the outsourcing logistics, technology and agriculture sectors – expanded to the Gulf region. Lawyers had been working on cross-border deals across the two regions on a fly-in, fly-out basis over the last five years, but the firm pursued the venture more aggressively in the last 18 months and had been “testing out the market.”

The Abu Dhabi office will be headed by partner Quentin Lowcay, who regularly works in Dubai and is a key advisor to the firm’s outsourcing and telco clients. The office will be staffed by six lawyers from its Auckland and Wellington offices. The firm said it had a significant response internally from lawyers wishing to be considered for the new office. While it has not hired any locally qualified lawyers, the firm said this will be considered later on.

The office will be 100% New Zealand owned and largely focused on assisting kiwi companies on outbound business ventures. However chairman Clayton Kimpton (pictured) said this will not limit the firm in any way as the office will be surrounded by local businesses. “We want to demonstrate to the local market a willingness to integrate fully into the Abu Dhabi business community – [which is why] we didn’t want to take a free zone or joint venture approach,” he said. “We don’t see this approach as limiting because it will allow us to work with multiple local legal providers.”

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