Appleby, a leading offshore law firm offering objective jurisdictional business solutions to companies, has announced the opening of its first Middle East office in Bahrain.

The representative office, operating under the name of Appleby (Middle East) Limited, a part of the corporate administration arm of the Appleby Group, will cover the whole of Middle East region.

Appleby had previously planned to open its frst office in Dubai, but has now chosen Bahrain instead. However, the Group will continue to look at further options in the region.

Jeanne Bartlett, Appleby’s global leader for Islamic and Structured Finance and a partner in the legal practice in the Cayman Islands, will be the managing director of the new office.

The Bahrain office will offer Middle East clients convenient access to Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Jersey, Mauritius, Isle of Man and Seychelles structures.

Last month Appleby announced the opening of a new office in the Seychelles and its pending (October 2009) merger with top Isle of Man law firm, Dickinson Cruickshank.

On completion of the merger, the firm will have 73 partners and over 800 staff making it the world’s largest offshore law firm by partner numbers.

Commenting on the new office, Bartlett said: “This is a significant opportunity for us to expand our offering to Middle East markets where we already have extensive experience of Islamic and structured finance (conventional and Shari’iah), and investment funds.”

Peter Bubenzer, Appleby’s Global Group managing partner said the company's strategy is to become the leading provider of legal, fiduciary and administration services in the offshore world.

'And this includes being where our clients are located and providing the widest choice of offshore options. By opening in Bahrain, our Middle East clients will have immediate access to our services across a significant range of offshore options.'

'This ease of access to such a variety of products and jurisdictions is unsurpassed by any other offshore firm, he added.-TradeArabia News Service