Clifford Chance (CC) is relocating two partners to Asia in a bid to strengthen its practices in Hong Kong and Qatar.

The magic circle firm is boosting its Doha office with the addition of corporate partner Jason Mendens from Sydney, who will be the firm's first corporate partner on the ground in the resource-rich Gulf country.

Mendens, who has worked with both public and private clients on energy and resources deals in Australia, joins a team of six lawyers including banking and projects partner Richard Parris, who oversees the office.

The firm has previously handled all corporate work out of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

"We will continue to be very active in the banking sector and the outbound corporate work," said Parris.

"In addition to this, we expect to see strong growth in domestic infrastructure work and related bank lending, and in inbound investment as developers gear up to meet the growth plans outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030."

Also relocating within CC is the firm's London head of banking litigation, Matthew Newick, who will join the dispute resolution team in Hong Kong with a view to becoming locally qualified.

Newick, whose specialism is financial disputes and regulatory investigations, has a track record of working with financial institutions, regulators, exchanges and prosecuting authorities, including the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, on civil, criminal, regulatory and administrative proceedings.

News of his move to the Hong Kong office comes after Davis Polk & Wardwell hired CC's top-ranked Asia-Pacific litigation and dispute resolution head Martin Rogers and partner James Wadham in December, who were also based in Hong Kong.

Newick will be travelling regularly to Asia in the coming months before permanently relocating to Hong Kong this summer and later looking to become Hong Kong admitted.

He will join a team of 13 dispute resolution partners across the region and six in the Asian city.