Norton Rose has bolstered its Middle East practice with the hire of corporate partner Andrew Abernethy for its Dubai office.

Abernethy joined the firm on 2 June from the Wellington office of New Zealand firm Bell Gully, where he was a partner in the corporate finance practice for five years. Before joining Bell Gully, Abernethy spent six years with Shearman & Sterling in New York and is admitted to practise both US and New Zealand law.