Belfast lawyer Paul Tweed is leaving Johnsons Solicitors to set up his own practice focused on taking out defamation actions on behalf of north African and Middle Eastern clients.

Mr Tweed will maintain a link with his former firm, but told The Times: “I’ll be concentrating on rapidly expanding work that I’ve been getting from north Africa and the Middle East and I’ll be conducting that litigation in both Dublin and London.”

Last year, he represented Ismail Omar Guelleh, president of Djibouti, in a case against Facebook in Dublin, which he said opened his eyes to a gap in the legal market.

He said: “I have seen a dramatic change in the legal landscape just in the last six months to a year. Primarily because now Ireland has become the world’s centre for the social networking companies and also for major American publishers and distributors.”

Mr Tweed is already involved in litigation concerning material broadcast or published by London-based expats for Middle Eastern audiences.

He said: “A focal point is the dispute between Qatar and the four surrounding Gulf states. That in turn led to a lot of information being disseminated online and on social networks.

“I have been called in to deal with a number of these situations, to assist and deal with defamatory and inappropriate material.”

Asked about ethical problems arising from accepting clients from countries with poor human rights records, Mr Tweed cited his experience of being a lawyer during the Troubles.

He said: “I take the view that I’m an officer of the court and everyone is entitled to have access to justice.”