Italian law firm Gianni, Origoni, Grippo and Partners has opened its Abu Dhabi office, its first in the Middle East.

The 350-strong Rome-headquartered firm, which was established in 1988, has offices in Italy, Brussels, London and New York. Gianni has moved three lawyers to the Abu Dhabi office, which aims to assist Italian companies operating in the region.

“The Abu Dhabi office represents a further stop towards our firm's internationalisation process and will serve as a hub for the European clientele in the region," said founding partner Francesco Gianni in an interview with local media. “The UAE… has also shown astounding resilience to worldwide economic turmoil. This has made Abu Dhabi and the UAE an apt choice in our strategic plans to penetrate the MEBA market and to establish strong ties that will allow us to expand further into the region.”

Reports say that services will include mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, oil and gas, private equity, arbitration, infrastructure, corporate governance and corporate finance. ALB

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