Firms make plans for conflict in the Middle East

Lawyers are dusting down disaster recovery plans as war looms in the Middle East - but a short decisive conflict could bring a raft of new legal opportunities, specialists told the Gazette this week.

Martin Amison, head of international projects at City firm Trowers & Hamlins - which boasts a five-office Middle East practice - said: 'As for all our offices, we have disaster recovery plans in place.

If something peculiar happens that threatens our people or damages our offices, we would arrange to get people out, or drive them to a neighbouring country, and take action to secure the safety of our client information and office equipment.

'[Alternatively] people might have to stay at home, in which case they need to ensure they have enough water and food, each other's contact details, and our London team must have everyone's passport details.'

But he said that while the firm was 'dusting down' its disaster recovery plans, more probably instability in the region will be limited - apart from in Iraq itself - to civil unrest in countries such as Bahrain and Egypt, where Trowers has offices.

'There is likely to be queuing up outside the US embassy, or perhaps attacks against American symbols, such as McDonald's,' he speculated.

Michael Doble, head of the energy department at City firm Denton Wilde Sapte - which has offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Cairo and Muscat - said: 'Each office has its own plans.

Yes, people do a level of contingency planning.

So far as the Middle East offices are concerned, this is not because of any specific risk, but because it would be a sensible way of proceeding at the moment.

It is arguable that being in London is perhaps as potentially dangerous as anywhere else.'

Mr Amison said that while a long and protracted conflict would clearly drag business down, a quick and clear outcome would boost business.

He said that certain countries, such as Jordan, would be well placed as launch pads for any recovery that followed.

Stephen Parish, banking managing partner at City firm Norton Rose, said it was 'business as usual' in the 'very active' Middle East market.

He pointed out: 'There is every reason to believe - if it is a short, sharp event - that with the current level of existing projects, there are likely to be greater opportunities.

Iraq is likely to be very busy rebuilding its infrastructure.'

He said there may be a political pay-off - 'refurbishments of power stations and so on' - if Britain were one of the few countries involved with the US in a successful war.

Jeremy Fleming