A three-firm merger and moves on the global resources and insurance sectors weren’t enough for Norton Rose it seems. Following the departure of sukuk specialist and head of Middle East debt capital markets, Rizwan Kanji, the firm has decided to zero in on Middle East telco innovation. After last month establishing a 10-lawyer Asian IP/Technology group, headquartered in Hong Kong, the practice has again clearly signalled the extent of its expansion plans and moved an IP lawyer to its Abu Dhabi office.
London intellectual property and technology senior associate, Dino Wilkinson, relocated to the Abu Dhabi office last week. Wilkinson has advised government departments, Islamic and conventional financial institutions, telecoms operators, professional services organisations and other corporate clients throughout the region and has been brought in to offer support to innovation-led businesses across the communications, media, technology, life sciences, retail sectors.
Norton Rose is no stranger to telecommunications and technology capability advice: last week it was also announced that the firm advised the coordinators of the US$2bn debt loan programme established by Indonesian telco giant Tower Bersama to PT Tower Bersama Infrastructure and its operating companies.
Campbell Steedman, senior partner and head of corporate finance Middle East, said he expects to see considerable growth in the technology sector, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. That growth is expected to continue for at least the next 18-24 months.
Peter Martyr, chief executive of Norton Rose, also confirmed that the firm still intends to expand to the US, Latin America, Qatar, Turkey and South Korea as it makes its bid to be a global top 25 law firm.
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