Bedell Cristin expands to the Middle East with new office and key hire

Bedell Cristin has expanded into the Middle East with a new office in Abu Dhabi, led by experienced financial services professional Faizal Bhana, who has joined the firm as Managing Director and Head of Middle East, Africa and India. 

The firm, led by Co-Global Managing Partners Nancy Chien and Edward Drummond, was founded in 1939 and now has offices across BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey, London and Singapore, with teams advising on private client, investment funds, dispute resolution, corporate and finance. 

The Bedell Cristin partnership includes lawyers who have lived and worked in the Middle East and who have deep ties to the region. The opening of the new office, the firm’s seventh globally, establishes a permanent presence in the Middle East for the first time. 

Faizal Bhana brings deep regional expertise, having spent many years living and working across the Middle East, including in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He has advised extensively on international investment, private wealth structuring and corporate holding arrangements, and is widely regarded as a trusted adviser to institutions, intermediaries and private clients operating across these markets.  

In his most recent role, he led market strategy and engagement across the Middle East, Africa and India for a leading global international finance centre, building long-term relationships with public and private institutions, corporates, intermediaries and families. 

The launch of the Abu Dhabi office reflects both the firm’s long-standing connections to the region and the increasing sophistication of financial services centres across the Middle East, Africa and India. Rapid growth in hubs such as ADGM, DIFC, Riyadh and QIFC continues to drive demand for complex cross-border structures and offshore expertise. 

Co-Global Managing Partner Nancy Chien said: "This is a natural and important step in the continued growth of our global business. The Middle East is a key market for all of our jurisdictions, and in Faizal we have found the perfect individual to spearhead our efforts not just in that region, but also across Africa and India. 

"We see a huge opportunity right across those regions, with the phenomenal growth of regional finance centres such as the ADGM, DIFC, Riyadh and QIFC over recent years servicing and supporting the Middle East, Africa and India as a gateway for global trade International cross-border structures are much more familiar to financial services professionals there than they were even ten years ago, and we are seeing consistent demand for our services." 

Edward Drummond added: " This new office forms part of our broader growth strategy, alongside a number of recent partner and counsel hires across our Guernsey, Jersey and London offices.   We have ambitious plans for the business, and our new ADGM office, and Faizal’s key hire to head the office, is a key part of that." 

Commenting on his appointment, Faizal Bhana said “We are pleased to be partnering with and contributing to the existing world class ecosystems and financial services centres across the region, whether in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Qatar other hubs in the GCC. From our base in ADGM, we look forward to supporting clients across the Middle East, Africa and India, and to working closely with colleagues across the firm’s global network to deliver integrated advice. We are delighted to call the 'Capital of Capital' our new regional home."  

Bedell Cristin's new presence becomes its seventh global location, alongside offices in BVI, Cayman, Guernsey, Jersey, London and Singapore. The firm's partnership includes some of the most experienced attorneys, advocates and solicitors in its jurisdictions, and it works with a global client base of institutional investors and lenders, asset managers, family offices, HNW families and their respective advisors and service providers on transactions, financings, disputes and wealth structuring.