Two legal firms are to join forces, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

International offshore law firm Harneys will next month merge with Bermuda lawyers Hurrion & Associates under the Harneys Bermuda banner.

And Hurrion & Associates founder Sarah-Jane Hurrion will become managing partner of the new full-service legal and fiduciary services firm.

Harneys will now establish an office on the Island for the first time.

The firm also operates in Cayman, the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Mauritius and Anguilla and has a presence in key markets like London, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Singapore and Tokyo.

Hurrion & Associates has a staff of 14 in Bermuda, while Harneys has 357 employees worldwide.

Ms Hurrion said: “Hurrion & Associates is pleased to be joining forces with a firm of Harneys’ calibre and reputation.

“Our firms have an outstanding cultural fit and a great deal to offer each other, to the benefit not only of our clients and staff, but also of the broader Bermuda legal market, economy and profile.”

Harneys chairman Peter Tarn added: “For us, choosing to partner with Hurrion was not only about technical expertise but also a belief that Sarah-Jane shares our long-term ambitions and vision of how lawyers should contribute to the society in which they operate.

“We consider ourselves lucky to have Sarah-Jane and her outstanding team joining us.”

Mr Tarn said the Island was a “blue-chip jurisdiction” with a strong international reputation and a wide range of businesses.

He added: “Clients have been telling us for some time that Bermuda is a place where Harneys needs to be.

“In particular, Harneys’ strength and deep roots in Latin America and Asia provide the perfect platform to grow Bermuda’s presence into these key and emerging markets.”

Ms Hurrion also announced a new recruit in advance of the merger.

Michael Burns, a former senior equity partner at global offshore legal firm Appleby, will become Harneys global group general counsel and also managing director of fiduciary services and head of the Bermuda corporate department.

Ms Hurrion said: “Mike brings 25 years of experience as a corporate lawyer to Harneys Bermuda and I am delighted that he will join the leadership team to drive this firm forward in the years to come.”

Ms Hurrion, who formerly worked at Cox Hallett Wilkinson in Bermuda and Walkers in Cayman, set up Hurrion & Associates, which specialises in international commercial litigation, insolvency and corporate restructuring, last year,

Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA) CEO Ross Webber said the agency had been in talks with Harneys for months.

He added: “It is encouraging the jurisdiction is being regarded as a place for growth and a centre that is open for business.

“We strongly believe this will result in healthy competition within the Bermuda marketplace and that the presence of Harneys here will attract more business.”