Ashurst has elevated Singapore-based Ben Giaretta and Abu-Dhabi- based Matthew Hooton to its worldwide partnership.
 
Hooton, head of the firm's real estate practice in the Middle East, advises in all areas across the real estate sector, while Giaretta is an arbitration lawyer who was recently relocated from the firm's London office to launch a disputes practice in the region. Earlier this month, the firm also relocated corporate partner Susan Roy from London to Singapore.
 
In addition to the promotion of Giaretta and Hooton the firm also made up eight other lawyers to its partnership - five from London, two from Milan and one from Frankfurt. Last year the firm elevated 17 lawyers to its partnership and the firm's senior partner, Charlie Geffen, says the decrease this year is simply a reflection of the economic crisis. "Clearly times are tough, but it's not really just a numbers game. You get the candidates you get coming through, though at times like this the bar goes up. But nobody sits down and says 'we're only going to make up X partners this year'."

"About a third of the business is non-London now, so the fact that half of the lawyers we've made up are outside London shows that the strategy is to continue growing the firm internationally," Geffen added.