International law firm Taylor Wessing has hired former Bahrain-based Trowers & Hamlins partner Neale Downes at its Dubai office, bolstering its global finance team.

Downes, who is expected to join Taylor Wessing as a partner on June 10, has previously headed Trowers’ regional banking and finance practice. His areas of expertise include asset-backed and asset-based financing, syndicated lending, project finance, acquisition finance, and other leveraged and structured finance. He is also experienced in Islamic finance work.

"Neale's appointment is a sign of our continuing intentions in the Middle East. We have a fantastic quality offering through our Dubai office, where we act for a number of the leading families, government bodies and institutions in the region,” said Hamid Yunus, head of Taylor Wessing’s Middle East practice. “Our strategic need is to continue the development of the practice not only in the UAE, where Neale will be based, but also to grow the practice in the Middle East region generally."

Downes’ appointment follows the recent appointments of Elisabeth Gaunt from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Ross Caldwell from Dundas & Wilson. Both Gaunt and Caldwell are London based, and have been appointed as partners in the global finance team. ALB

Shaheen Pasha is Middle East Regional Editor at ALB. Follow her on Twitter: @ALB_TheBrief.

Other related stories:

• Taylor Wessing enters CEE market with Austrian merger
• RHT Law to join Taylor Wessing network