Simmons & Simmons has boosted its Dubai office with the appointment of former Clifford Chance (CC) Dubai head Paul Simpson as its local managing partner.

Simpson joined the firm at the end of March having left CC last year to take time off from fee earning. He was CC’s Middle East managing partner from 1990 to 1993, when he returned to London as deputy head of energy and infrastructure. He left the partnership in 2005, acting as a consultant until his departure in 2006.