Offshore law firm Walkers has boosted its new Singapore office in anticipation of an increase in legal work in the corporate restructuring and funds practices.

The firm has transferred senior funds lawyer Laura Rogers from Hong Kong to the Singapore office. Rogers joins corporate and funds partner Ashley Gunning, who was previously in the firm's Cayman Islands office. Finance partner John Rogers was also relocated to Singapore from Hong Kong for the office's opening in February.

Gunning said that the firm expects a rise in funds work in line with other Walkers offices. "Our offices in the Cayman Islands and more recently Hong Kong have experienced an increase in hedge funds restructuring work related to the illiquidity in the market and the difficulties in valuation. We anticipate more work of that nature in Singapore. Managers in Asia have relied less on leverage than those in the West, so the issues will likely be less severe. As a result, a good deal of our increased work will relate to structuring new funds with more concise and relevant documentation developed to meet the challenges faced by funds in the new market environment."

The appointment will bring the number of lawyers in the office to three, but the firm expects to make more appointments by the end of the year. "Our objective during the course of this year is to take on an associate to assist the finance practice. We'll review further hiring based on market conditions," said Gunning.