K&L Gates has hired energy specialist John King as a partner from Clayton Utz. King will initially be resident in the firm’s Perth office before relocating to Singapore.

King, who has nearly 20 years of experience in the petroleum and petrochemical sectors, focuses his practice on international oil and gas projects, particularly those involving LNG. He advises clients on domestic and international energy-related matters, including upstream exploration and production projects, offshore contracting, pipeline projects, asset sale and purchase, and independent power projects in Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Prior to his stint with Clayton Utz, King was senior legal counsel with Eni Australia and the Eni-BP joint venture VICO Indonesia.

“John has significant oil and gas industry experience and deep relationships in Indonesia, Korea, and Australia,” said David Tang, K&L Gates’ Asia managing partner, in a statement. “He will bolster and help to knit closer our client capabilities in those markets and our firmwide energy capabilities.”