Charles Russell, an international law firm with offices in Bahrain and Qatar, has announced a number of appointments as part of its global growth agenda driven by client demand to focus on Islamic finance.

Wesam Alshafei has joined Charles Russell's Bahrain office as a legal consultant providing clients with expertise in banking and Islamic finance with main focus on Islamic banking, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, regulatory compliance and commercial and employment related matters.

Prior to joining Charles Russell, she had spent six years at Zubi & Partners, a firm in Bahrain.

Charles Russell has also hired Ashley Freeman from the Central Bank of Bahrain to head the Islamic finance practice in the firm's financial services team.

Freeman has extensive global banking and financial services experience, encompassing strategic, transactional and regulatory matters in both Islamic and conventional industries and bond and sukkuk issuances.

In September last year, the firm announced expansion of its Middle East operations with a new office in Qatar to provide clients with specialist services in the real estate, construction, banking and corporate sectors.

Bahrainis comprise 25 per cent of its Bahrain office staff.-TradeArabia News Service