Hill Dickinson has become the first law firm in Hong Kong to successfully obtain an order from a mainland Chinese court for interim measures in aid of an arbitration administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

UK-headquartered shipping law firm Hill Dickinson has hired capital markets specialist Kurt Lau as a partner in the firm’s corporate practice in Hong Kong from Eversheds Sutherland, where he was a consultant.

King & Wood Mallesons has expanded its Tokyo team with two new partners: Arbitration specialist Patric McGonigal, who is relocating from Singapore, and corporate expert Ryunosuke Ushijima, who joins from local firm Miyake, Ushijima & Imamura, where he was a name partner.

Hill Dickinson has hired insurance, shipping and competition law specialist Caroline Thomas as a partner in Hong Kong from Holman Fenwick Willan.

UK firm Hill Dickinson has beefed up its commercial disputes practice in Hong Kong with the appointment of Bryan O’Hare, who will officially join the firm on Sept. 1.

Hill Dickinson is set to launch a Hong Kong office, its ninth globally and second in Asia after Singapore, in October.