DLA Piper has appointed Allen & Overy’s Tim Dobson to its corporate group as a senior consultant.

A tremendous surge in Hong Kong IPOs in recent weeks indicates a return to health for capital markets in the region, and well positioned firms are reaping the benefits.

Following the hire of veteran attorney David Yang, Shin & Kim has launched a specialist team for the Latin American region – a first for Korean law firms.

Blake Dawson will expand its Japan team significantly in the coming months predicting strengthening outbound M&A deals and PPP partnerships between the two countries predicted in the coming months.

Simmons & Simmons has lost veteran partner George Booth to Clyde & Co, who in his six-year tenure at the firm’s Abu Dhabi office has headed both its corporate and projects practice groups at various times.

Nagashima, Ohno & Tsunematsu (NO&T), Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (MHM), Nishimura & Asahi (N&A) and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune (AM&T) have all indicated expansions and secondments into Asia as Japanese businesses shift from domestic markets and go regional.

Sicangco, Herbert Smith, ACCRA Law and Bakers have acted on the sale of BG Group’s indirectly held 40% stake in the Santa Rita and San Lorenzo natural gas-fired power plants in the Philippines to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) for a net consideration of US$400m.

Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu’s recent announcement of a landmark alliance with Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) – to capitalise on the Australian firm’s regional spread — indicates a long-term structural shift in Japanese business dealings as Japan’s outbound investment into Asia grows.

Debevoise & Plimpton partner Drew Dutton will relocate to Hong Kong from Paris, in a strategic move to expand the firm’s financial services and transactional private equity platforms in Hong Kong.

Norton Rose dispute resolution partner Guy Spooner has been appointed to the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) board of directors, effective 1 October 2010.