Ashurst has hired partners Rob Palmer and Chris Bailey from Herbert Smith Freehills as it moves to strengthen its Asia dispute resolution group. Palmer will join Ashurst’s Singapore office, while Bailey will move to Tokyo after an initial stint in Singapore.
Palmer has expertise in construction and infrastructure, and has been based in Southeast Asia since 2003. Bailey, who will become Ashurst's first disputes partner in Tokyo after he re-registers as a foreign registered lawyer, will mainly focus on assisting Japanese clients in relation to disputes arising outside of Japan, as well as supporting international clients in relation to contentious matters in Japan.
"Together with Gareth Hughes and the rest of the Asia-Pacific disputes team, Rob and Chris will play an important role in achieving our goal of building a first-rate contentious practice in the region,” said Ashurst's global head of dispute resolution, Simon Bromwich, in a statement. “In Singapore, the case for expanding our capability is plain, as Singapore is increasingly regarded as one of the world's leading international arbitration venues. Our decision to establish a new team in Tokyo is based on strong feedback from our Japanese clients suggesting they would like us to offer a dispute resolution practice in Tokyo."
In September, Ashurst hired litigation partner Angus Ross from Allen & Overy in Hong Kong, while disputes lawyer Nicholas Watts left Herbert Smith Freehills’ Singapore office for K&L Gates three weeks ago.
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