Indian law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has brought back corporate and M&A specialist Himanshu Chahar as director of corporate transactions in its recently opened Abu Dhabi office. He becomes the office’s first partner-level hire.

The Indian legal market is set to open to UK law firms by the end of July, following a closed-door meeting in London on Thursday comprising core members of the Bar Council of India (BCI), the Bar Council of England and Wales, and the UK’s Law Society.

Indian law firm Trilegal has expanded its capital markets and banking capabilities with the addition of four equity partners across Mumbai and Bengaluru, taking its total partner strength to 130.

Japanese law firm Atsumi & Sakai has continued its expansion with the addition of two partners. Akiko Hosokawa joins from Baker McKenzie (Gaikokuho Joint Enterprise), while Dio Inoue was Japanese legal head for American pharma company Guardant Health.

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer had hired Tony Chow from King & Wood Mallesons to lead the firm’s contentious insolvency practice in Hong Kong.

New merger thresholds, increased enforcement and more regulator-led awareness campaigns have given rise to flourishing and competitive markets in the Middle East’s largest economy, but some regulatory and procedural concerns still remain.

Liberalisation, diversification, and a drive to align with international standards are transforming the Middle East's legal market into a crucible of change.

As technology advances, financial crime has become a major threat to global financial systems, surpassing many other forms of crime. Asia’s emerging digital markets, which are still developing regulations to combat tech-based crime, have become prime targets for financial fraudsters. Experts emphasise that international cooperation and robust enforcement of anti-money laundering regulations are essential to address this challenge effectively. 

U.S. law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Japan’s firm Anderson Mori & Tomotsune are advising global investment giant Blackstone on its $1.74 billion (275.8 billion yen) bid to take private Japanese digital comic distributor Infocom, which has hired TMI Associates to represent it.

Malaysian law firm Adnan Sundra & Low (ASL) has expanded its corporate offerings with the addition of M&A partner Liza Uma and banking and finance partner Yong Wee Hoo.