Hogan Lovells, which claims to be the first global law firm in Mongolia, has relocated corporate partner Chris Melville from its London office to Ulaanbaatar to cater to the rapidly developing economy in that country.

With experience in M&As, joint ventures and corporate finance across a number of sectors, including energy and natural resources, Melville has been focused on advising clients on cross border M&As and investments relating to the Russian Federation, where he has advised on a number of transactions over the past five years.

Melville’s arrival takes the total number of partners at Hogan Lovells’ Ulaanbaatar office to two, the other being managing partner Michael Aldrich. The office has five associates and three other fee-earners, in addition to the partners and associates in Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Tokyo and Hanoi who are working on Mongolia projects.

"Chris has many years of experience advising clients in emerging markets like Russia, including a period spent there in the late 1990s. His experience will add further breadth and depth to Hogan Lovells' toptier practice in Mongolia," said Crispin Rapinet, Hogan Lovells’ regional managing partner, Asia and Middle East, in a statement.

In Mongolia, the firm is focused on foreign direct investment transactions and projects across various sectors including energy and natural resources, and financial services. ALB

Ranajit Dam is Southeast Asia Editor at ALB. Follow him on Twitter: @RanajitDam_ALB.

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