Ashurst law firm news

Linklaters’ Dubai counsel David Charlier has joined Ashurst’s energy and infrastructure team as partner.

Banking specialist Peter Bowden has moved from Blake Dawson to Clayton Utz, taking up a senior associate position in Melbourne.

Herbert Smith, Ashurst, White & Case and Trowers & Hamlins have all played a role in advising on the world’s largest power project financing thus far this year – Abu Dhabi’s US$1.5bn Shuweihat 3 independent power plant (IPP) project. According the Herbert Smith’s lead partner on the deal, Andrew Newberry, the project is a landmark partnership between Japanese and Korean investors in a Middle East energy financing project.

Tightening credit policies on Mainland China have driven strong growth in debt capital raisings in Hong Kong – with some lawyers predicting a bumper year for bond issues for the North Asian market.

Vinson & Elkin has joined the wave of international firms launching new offices in the Middle East as it opens an office in Riyadh, following similar announcements by Baker & McKenzie in May, Gates & Partners in April and McGrigors in March to set up offices in the region. These are in addition to Covington & Burlington’s Middle East dual office push in Riyadh and King Abdullah’s Economic City in January 2011.

US firm K&L Gates has quintupled its Tokyo headcount from the same time last year, as ten lawyers from Clifford Chance – the largest group of Japanese lawyers to move en masse between international players in Tokyo – joins the firm.

Ashurst has promoted three partners in the Middle East with effect from 1 May 2011. This is part of a larger round of global partnership promotions, numbering 12; up one from 11 last year.

DLA Piper has promoted seven new partners in Asia – two in China, three in Hong Kong and one each in Singapore and Tokyo. The promotions will take effect from 1 May 2011. The promotions in Asia are part of a round that sees 53 new partners joining its ranks.

Norton rose has created five new partners in the Asia-Pacific – with two promoted in Canberra, one in Shanghai, one in Singapore and one in Sydney.

Baker & McKenzie, Conyers Dill & Pearman, Walkers, Hogan Lovells, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton and Thorp Alberga have all played a role in advising on the joint acquisition of Tongjitang Chinese Medical Company in a transaction that “opens the door for Cayman-incorporated companies that may be seeking a more flexible procedure for US delisting and going private.”

Mori Hamada, Clifford Chance and local player Okuno have all played lead roles in the financing deal connected to the restructuring of Japan Airlines (JAL) – the largest Japanese insolvency case of a non-financial sector company.

Oh Ebashi, Ashurst and Clifford Chance have advised on a significant stake acquisition in the print manufacturing sector as Tokyo-based global paper manufacturer Rengo acquires a 29.9% stake in Hong Kong-based Asia Packaging.

Senior partner in Clyde & Co's global aviation group, Jim Edmunds, has left the firm – taking senior Clyde associate Anthony Frances with him – to help launch UK aviation specialist firm Gate and Partners in Dubai.

Ashurst has laterally hired Simmons & Simmons disputes lawyer Gareth Hughes to join the firm’s Hong Kong office with immediate effect. He will be Ashurst’s first litigation partner in Hong Kong and only the second disputes partner the firm has in the Asian region.

London-based Hogan Lovells senior partner Andrew Carey will relocate to Singapore in April 2011 as part of the firm’s expansionist push to further develop its capital markets capabilities in the region.

Clifford Chance, Allen & Overy, Freshfields, Ashurst, Herbert Smith and Norton Rose all sprang into action yesterday amid concern for the safety of their Tokyo-based employees following last week’s earthquake, tsunami and the recently heightened fears of spreading nuclear contamination.

China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corporation (CGNPC), one of the largest state-owned nuclear power producers in PRC, has made a US$1.23bn bid for Namibian miner Kalahari Minerals Plc (KAH).

中国核电站主要运营商之一的中国广东核电集团（“中广核”）欲以12.3亿美元收购Kalahari Minerals（“Kalahari”）。Kalahari是一家在纳米比亚开采铀、金、铜及其他基底金属的矿业公司，该公司已先后在英国伦敦证券交易所AIM板及纳米比亚证券交易所上市。

Clyde & Co has poached Ashurst’s head of aviation for Asia, Middle East and Africa Paul Jebely, to launch the Asian arm of the firm’s global aviation finance practice.

Bahrain’s first-ever wastewater treatment plant – also one of the first wastewater PPP deals in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – heralds the start of the government’s drive to develop infrastructure in a number of sectors, using PPPs as the key procurement model.