US law firm Nixon Peabody is to open its first London office, with six lawyers of which three are UK qualified. The UK lawyers are Paul Biggs, Simon Norris and Patrick Leece. The London managing partner is set to be New York partner Stavros Adamidis.

The new office will focus on project finance, leveraged finance and corporate trust. It has been set up via a partnership with project finance boutique Trinty. Biggs, Leece and Norris set up Trinty in February 2006. Biggs was previously head of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft’s project finance group based in London. All three lawyers will join the Nixon Peabody partnership, but Trinity will continue to exist in its own right, focusing on its area of expertise in African infrastructure financing.

Nixon Peabody decided to expand into London following the increased level of investment in European markets by their US-based clients.