Litigation boutique, Kobre & Kim, has opened a British Virgin Islands (BVI) office, in response to the anticipated growing need for an offshore practice by Chinese clients.

The move will be overseen by English barristers, James Corbett QC and Tim Prudhoe. Prudoe said that as a result of strong ties to Asia and the Commercial Court, the British Virgin Islands is a “leading jurisdiction for high stakes financial and insolvency disputes”.

According to a report conducted by the United States International Trade Commission, Hong Kong and the Cayman/British Virgin Islands currently account for about 75 per cent of China’s outward foreign direct investment, in large part because of their favorable tax and regulatory environments.

In light of this, there is a high potential for Chinese firms to be involved in BVI-related litigation, hence China will be a key focus for the newly established office. Its activity will be supported by the firm's Hong Kong team, said Kobre and Kim in a statement.