Mourant Ozannes has confirmed details of its Hong Kong office launch, with Guernsey corporate partner Paul Christopher formally taking up a role as managing partner of the office, which opened this month.

Christopher has been joined by two new Mourant partners, with the three partner office initially set to focus on investment funds, corporate and finance work.

In addition to Christopher the other partners in the office are Alex Last and Simon Lawrenson. Last, who specialises in investment funds and previously worked for Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London and Maples and Calder in Hong Kong and Dubai, will head the firm's Cayman practice in Asia.

Corporate finance partner Lawrenson, who previously worked for Linklaters in London and Maples and Calder in the British Virgin Islands, will lead the Asia BVI practice.

Jonathan Rigby, Mourant's managing partner, said: "Many of our clients, as well as the international law firms with whom we work so closely, are based in Asia or now have significant operations in the region.

Establishing an office in Hong Kong, the region's leading international finance centre, was an obvious strategic move for Mourant Ozannes.

He added: "Between them, the members of our Hong Kong team bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields, having practised with leading law firms in major finance centres both onshore and offshore."

Separately, Mourant has appointed a new managing partner in Jersey, with Daniel Birtwistle replacing Rigby, who has stepped down to concentrate on his global managing partner position.

Birtwistle made partner in 2004 and ran the 50-partner firm's London office between 2006 and 2007, before joining its global management committee in 2008.

The developments at Mourant come as offshore rival Walkers has named Jonathan Tonge as the new managing partner of its Jersey office. Tonge, who has relocated from Walkers' Cayman Islands office, has replaced Hugh O'Loughlin leading the Jersey office.

Tonge is former global head of hedge funds at the nine-office firm, where he has worked with clients including the Blackstone Group, BlackRock and UBS.