Mishcon expands into Middle East and gets Hong Kong licence

Mishcon has ramped up its international expansion, opening offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and securing a licence to practise as a firm in Hong Kong.

The build-out forms part of the City firm’s new five-year strategy, overseen by former NatWest CEO Dame Alison Rose, who was recently appointed as the firm’s independent non-executive chair.

The openings mark a significant shift for Mishcon, which until now has maintained a relatively lean international footprint - limited to a Singapore office and a Hong Kong association outside its three UK offices.

UAE office openings

The firm said its new Abu Dhabi and Dubai offices were launched in response to growing client demand and the rising flow of capital, business and family interests in the region.

The UAE offices will cover corporate, commercial, real estate, technology, media, IP, disputes and private client work. The region will be led by Christopher Skipper, who has been appointed managing partner and has over a decade of experience practising in the Middle East.

Hong Kong licence

Building on its existing association with local firm Kara So LLP, Mishcon has also been granted a licence to practise as a firm by the Law Society of Hong Kong. The Mishcon office will be led by Wei Zhang, with Patrick Yip, a former Deloitte China vice-chair, appointed Asia vice chair.

The office will focus on private client and non-contentious work, including international tax and wealth planning, and family office advisory.

What they said

"As we have witnessed the increasing flow of capital, business and family interests settle in the region, the opening of offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai is a natural development for us," said new UAE managing partner Skipper.

"Our ambition is to build one of the leading private client firms in Asia," added Hong Kong managing partner Zhang. "We have the benefit of drawing on the expertise of our colleagues across the world to ensure that we deliver exceptional results for our clients, whatever their needs."