space in the Bermuda Commercial Bank building in early September.

The law firm will be among one of the local law firms acting for the bank. The law firm's senior partner Mrs. Lynda Milligan-Whyte said: "We have the creativity to help build a bank, which is what we will do. As business expands at the bank, the firm will also expand. After all, that is the traditional way other Bermuda law firms have grown.'' The firm, in league with the Bank of Bermuda, recently produced a booklet, "Your Bridge to International Business'', outlining business advantages associated with the Island.

The law firm was founded nine years ago by Mr. Orlando Smith and Mrs.

Milligan-Whyte, the original partners. Since then the addition of ten other attorneys has caused the firm to swell to its current proportions.

Milligan-Whyte & Smith has been located in the Continental Building on Church Street since 1984, but now required double the floor space to accomodate its staff.

Milligan-Whyte & Smith's litigation department specialises in international business, particularly reinsurance and insurance litigation, as opposed to criminal cases. The corporate law division, so far, has focused on the reinsurance and insurance sectors, mutual funds, banking and corporate finance.

Clients derive from North America, Hong Kong, Japan and the UK -- with the latter becoming an important source of new business.

Mrs. Milligan-Whyte said the firm's objective on formation was to produce a genuinely international law firm and not to solely practise Bermuda law.

"Bermuda has given us the opportunity to develop our international corporate experience because we deal with so many jurisdictions. We have been asked to advise a South African black-owned company on all its joint ventures. This has nothing to do with Bermuda. We were chosen because of our expertise,'' said Ms Milligan-Whyte.

The law firm is constantly investigating potential new business for Bermuda with the expectation that business will trickle down to local professionals.

For instance, Mrs. Milligan-Whyte is campaigning for the introduction of a Bermuda-based, internationally recognised register for the computor software industry.

"Attorneys need to think creatively. Previous generations developed the insurance industry in Bermuda so now it is our turn to consider new areas for the future,'' she said.

Mrs. Lynda Milligan-Wyte.