CMS expands Dubai practice with hire of Construction disputes specialist

International law firm CMS is delighted to announce the appointment of Patrick McPherson as a partner in the firm’s infrastructure, construction and energy (ICE) disputes team in Dubai. He will start on 14 June. Prior to joining CMS, Patrick was a partner at Hadef & Partners and before that he led the legal team at Dutco Balfour Beatty, one of the region’s leading main contractors.

Patrick has substantial experience in acting on contentious and non-contentious construction matters, representing developers, contractors and sub-contractors, and engineering and architectural consultants across the Middle East. He is recognised in Legal 500 as having “considerable industry experience”.

Adrian Bell, co-head of ICE Disputes and Asia & Middle East Managing Director at CMS, comments: “Fuelled by our tripartite merger last May, our specialist ICE disputes practice has seen phenomenal growth in the region and globally over the last three years. Patrick’s joining adds both much needed capacity and enables us to further develop our expertise in the region, particularly on the supply side. He’s well known amongst the contractor community and will be a real asset to the team.”

Patrick McPherson adds: “I am delighted to be joining CMS and the disputes team in Dubai. The continued growth of the Dubai office reflects the expertise of the ICE team and the commitment of CMS to the region."

CMS’ Middle East practice has been significantly bolstered in the past 12 months with a string of new appointments including Head of TMT Rob Flaws and ICE specialist Slava Kiryushin, and follows the May 2017 merger with Nabarro and Olswang creating the world's six largest law firm. The firm’s enhanced offering has culminated in recent accolades including "Energy, Mining & Utilities Legal Adviser of the Year" at the Mergermarket Middle East M&A Awards and new rankings in Legal 500 2018 for, amongst other things, Construction, Energy & Infrastructure, and Disputes – Arbitration and International Litigation