ALB is again spotlighting its list of Firms To Watch.

Shearman & Sterling and Baker & McKenzie have advised Thai refiner Star Petroleum Refining on its 12.9 billion baht ($365 million) initial public offering

Ashurst has hired Joshua Cole as a Hong Kong-based partner in its corporate practice from King & Wood Mallesons.

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing is strengthening has hired Ow Kim Kit, formerly a deputy director with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) as a partner in its corporate and capital markets practices.

London-headquartered TMT specialist firm Olswang has entered into non-exclusive associations with Holborn in Singapore and Haldanes in Hong Kong.

The Malaysia-headquartered legal network ZICOlaw has added Singapore firm Insights Law, which is expected to provide local law advice for the network.

Olswang strengthened its Indonesia offering after hiring Toby Grainger as a corporate partner in its Singapore office from Oentoeng Suria & Partners, Ashurst’s associate firm in Jakarta.

Herbert Smith Freehills has entered into a Formal Law Alliance (FLA) with Singapore law firm Prolegis, its erstwhile “best friend” in the city state.

Submissions are now open for the second annual edition of ALB’s CSR List, which seeks to showcase the most socially conscious law firms across Asia.

Singapore’s Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has established the Legal Services Regulatory Authority (LSRA), a body that will handle all licensing matters relating to law practices in the city-state, and also allowed non-lawyers to become partners of firms.