Baker McKenzie has also added Jon Ornolfsson to its Tokyo office, as a partner in the Finance & Projects practice group. Ornolfsson brings a wealth of experience advising market-leading multinational and Asia-based clients on energy and infrastructure projects around the world, and will have a pan-Asian practice, working across the region for the firm’s clients. His practice includes, but is not limited to, M&A and joint ventures, project development and project financing within the oil and gas, power, chemical and other energy-related infrastructure sectors. He also counsels clients on various novel sustainable energy initiatives, such as pioneering clean fuel value chain projects. Based in Asia since 2007, Ornolfsson has advised on many of the highest profile energy transactions across the Asia-Pacific region in recent years. His broad client base includes leading Japanese trading houses and energy companies, and other global project developers and sponsors, as well as a number of Asian government entities. Ornolfsson is also a regular moderator and speaker at leading industry conferences and thought-leadership events. He is admitted to practice in England, Wales and Japan (as a Registered Foreign...

Allen & Overy has further bolstered its Asia-Pacific Funds & Asset Management group with the addition of Huaying Daisy Qi, a partner based in the Shanghai office. She is a highly recognized lawyer in the market, with extensive experience in advising Chinese and international clients on the formation and operation of domestic and international investment funds. She received her LLB and Master of Laws degrees from Peking University, and her JD degree from Columbia University. Qi will join Allen & Overy’s market-leading global Funds & Asset Management group, which provides a full-service offering to fund managers and institutional investors. She will be working with clients active in venture capital, private equity and other alternative asset strategies, including real estate, credit and...

Withers KhattarWong, the Singapore office of international law firm Withers, has added Yutaka Sakashita as a new corporate partner, even as it prepares for regional expansion by Japanese companies that are based in Tokyo and Singapore. Sakashita is one of a handful of Japanese lawyers based in Singapore who can advise on Japanese, Singapore and US law. His appointment will increase the depth and breadth of Withers’ global corporate capabilities, and create cross-border opportunities across offices in the APAC, the US and Europe. Sakashita built his 15-year legal career with Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu (NO&T) in Tokyo and Singapore, where he represented Japanese companies on their cross-border corporate transactions. At NO&T, he also advised private equity and venture capital firms based in Japan on their investments in the...

Oentoeng Suria & Partners, in association with Ashurst, has added Hillman Sembiring as a partner in the dispute resolution practice, based in Jakarta. In addition to supporting the local business needs of the firm’s global clients with significant Southeast Asia operations, Sembiring’s appointment continues the expansion of Ashurst’s dispute resolution practice, regionally and globally. Sembiring is an experienced litigator and dispute resolution lawyer with nearly 20 years of practice experience. After having worked for a number of reputable law firms in Jakarta, including HHP (a member firm of Baker McKenzie in Indonesia), Sembiring founded his own firm, Hillman Sembiring Advocates, in March 2016. Over an extensive career, he has assisted international and domestic clients with complex litigation, including multi-billion-dollars class action cases, bribery and corruption investigations and disputes, banking, securities and financial services disputes, and general corporate and commercial disputes and...

HFW has boosted its leading Middle East practice with the hire of top-ranked shipping and offshore marine partners Robert Lawrence and Ian Chung. Lawrence and Chung collectively have more than 30 years’ experience in the Middle East, and join HFW’s Dubai office from Clyde & Co, where Lawrence headed the firm’s International Trade and Transport practice in the region. The move sees Chung return to HFW, where he was a partner until 2017. Lawrence joins HFW on August 22, while Chung will join on September 5. Lawrence is a leading disputes lawyer with a particular focus on the marine and offshore industries, including English law and Middle East claims arising from EPC contracts, offshore casualties, ship build and ship conversion projects, trade and transport, and marine insurance. He also advises on enforcement proceedings – onshore and in the DIFC; commercial litigation, including joint venture disputes; as well as non-contentious and regulatory matters. Lawrence acts for a wide range of clients across the Middle East, as well as ship owners with assets operating in the region, including those based in Singapore, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. He will also work closely with HFW’s team in Riyadh, where he has significant experience advising Saudi-based clients, as well as litigating before the Saudi Commercial Courts and the Saudi Insurance Disputes Committee. On the other hand, Chung specialises in transactional matters within the marine and transportation industries, including M&A and joint ventures, corporate and commercial, regulatory and licensing, finance, and general advisory work. He also has significant experience on insolvency and restructuring, and has acted for banks and borrowers on some of the most significant regional...