Dentons has welcomed back Nick Simpson as partner in its corporate and commercial practice in Muscat from Australian firm Kemp Strang in Sydney.

Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas has hired Akshay Chudasama as the managing partner of its Mumbai office. Chudasama joins from J. Sagar Associates (JSA), where he was a senior partner in Mumbai.

Clyde & Co. has added four new partners in Asia, two in Singapore through lateral hires, and a promotion each in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Allen & Gledhill dominated the 11th edition of the annual ALB Southeast Asia Law Awards, picking up a total of nine awards at the gala dinner held at the Fullerton Hotel on May 28, including both Singapore Deal Firm of the Year (shared with WongPartnership) and Southeast Asia Law Firm of the Year.

Ernst & Young has added 55-lawyer Seoul firm Apex Legal to its legal network, as it looks to expand its footprint across the Asia-Pacific network.

Al Tamimi & Company has opened its second Saudi Arabia office in Jeddah, the country’s second-largest city after the capital Riyadh.

Albar & Partners continued to dominate at the ALB Malaysia Law Awards, after collecting eight gongs at the second edition, twice its haul from last year. These included Malaysia Deal of the Year, Malaysia Law Firm of the Year, Managing Partner of the Year and Dealmaker of the Year, with the latter two going to Datuk Syed Zaid Albar.

UK law firm DWF has opened an office in Dubai, its first outside the British Isles, after hiring two lawyers from Holland & Knight, including construction partner Steven Hunt.

Trowers & Hamlins became the first international law firm to apply for a qualified foreign law firm (QFLF) license in Malaysia. Under the Legal Profession (Amendment) Act 2012, which came into effect in June last year, QFLF holders can operate independently in Malaysia without allying with a local firm. Nick White, partner, and Regional Manager, Malaysia, with Trowers & Hamlins, talks to Ranajit Dam about the firm’s strategy in the country, as well as the advantages of the QFLF approach.

Malaysian law firm Abdullah Chan & Co has entered into an association with London law firm Child & Child in the country. The tie-up aims to service clients in Malaysia, as well as Malaysian investors looking at the United Kingdom.