The Transfer Window: Asia is a regular round-up of recent legal moves in Asia Pacific. Please send all announcements to: [email protected]

Shearman & Sterling has expanded is project development and finance practice with addition of Allens partner Anthony Patten in Singapore.

Patten previously led Allens' oil and gas team in Asia and Australia, before which he was a partner in Ashurst's London energy, transport and infrastructure group. He also spent six years working in London and the UAE as a senior in-house counsel at Royal Dutch Shell. 

His appointment follows the relocation of projects partner Ben Shorten from London to Singapore, which also boosted the energy team there.

Nabarro in Singapore has meanwhile hired transactional energy lawyer Adrian Wong from Hogan Lovells to join as a partner.

Qualified in both English and Singapore law, he has acted for clients on projects in Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Mongolia, and also worked as legal counsel of International Power-GDF Suez Energy.

In October 2013 Nabarro moved to a new office in Singapore at the Marina Bay Financial Centre Tower, increasing its office space for future growth. The firm also announced in November it would be opening an office in Dubai early this year.

Also ramping up on the energy side last month was Sidley Austin, which hired M&A partner Lan Tao to work in its Beijing office.

Previously a partner with White & Case in the city, Lan advises mostly on Chinese inbound and outbound investment deals, recently looking more at outbound transactions in the energy and natural resources sectors.

He joined White & Case in 2012 from Dewey & LeBoeuf in Beijing, prior to which he was a partner at King & Wood.

His joins Sidley shortly after the arrival of two other energy and M&A partners in Asia; Tom Deegan in Hong Kong who moved from Simmons & Simmons, and Tju Liang Chua in Singapore who came from Vinson & Elkins.

Likewise in China, Taylor Wessing partner Sven-Michael Werner has joined the corporate practice of Bird & Bird.

Werner has over 12 years of experience in practising Chinese law, and is now based with the UK firm in Shanghai.

He will focus on Chinese outbound investment to Europe, and to Germany in particular.

In April 2013 Bird & Bird relocated its premises in Shanghai to the Bund Centre in order to accommodate more lawyers.

Baker & McKenzie has at the same time seen the departure of corporate partner Rossana Chu in Hong Kong, who has move to Troutman Sanders in the city.

Chu's practice spans M&A, Hong Kong IPOs and corporate restructurings. She also advises on private equity and venture capital investments with PRC elements.

Latham & Watkins' Hong Kong office has also taken on a new partner, finance expert Howard Lam from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Lam works on banking, cross-border debt restructuring, insolvency work and complex financing transactions. Key clients include banks, private equity funds and corporates in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Similarly, Weil Gotshal & Manges has recruited Kirkland & Ellis partner Albert Cho for its private funds group, to be based in Hong Kong.

Cho was previously with Kirkland in Hong Kong but also worked in the firm's New York office.

His practice focuses on the formation of private investment funds and related issues around operational and structuring, legal and regulatory compliance.

Also last month, four partners moved to the offices of K&L Gates in Asia.

O'Melveny & Myers partner Siew Kam Boon has joined to work in the firm's M&A and private equity practices in Shanghai and Singapore, whilst Deacons' investment management partner Greg Heaton has been added in Hong Kong.

Boon focuses on private equity, M&A and general corporate in sectors such as natural resources, technology, media, and consumer, and is known for advising on deals between China and Indonesia.

Heaton assists investment managers, institutional trustees, custodians and fund administrators on fund formation, licensing, regulatory compliance and securities law issues.

In Tokyo the firm has also recruited commercial disputes partner Takahiro Hoshino and real estate partner Takahiro Tsumagari.

Tsumagari previously headed international trade and tax at Atsumi & Sakai, whilst Hoshino founded his own firm Hoshino & Partners.

Another firm boosting its M&A and capital markets practice is Stephenson Hardwood's Singapore joint venture firm Virtus Law, who added corporate partners Elaine Beh, Allan Tan and Kong Seh Ping from Colin Ng & Partners.

All three concentrate mainly on Singapore IPOs, joint ventures and M&A. The corporate team at Virtus Law now has a total of eight fee earners.

Similarly in Singapore, Rajah & Tann has recruited a principal economist for its competition and antitrust practice.

Tanya Tang was previously from the competition and market access team at the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) where she was responsible for developing and enforcing policies to promote effective competition in the telecom and postal industries.

She was seconded to the Competition Commission of Singapore (CCS) for two years where she advised on antitrust investigations and market inquiries.

Joining Squire Sanders in Australia meanwhile is corporate and financial services partner Michelle Segaert, who comes from Sparke Helmore.

Her appointment follows that of former colleague and financial services partner Tom Lennox, who moved to Squire Sanders with a team of lawyers in September 2013 from DibbsBarker.

Segaert has over 27 years of experience in funds management, corporate transactional work and financial services regulation. She began her career at the Sydney office of King & Wood Mallesons and has since worked at Linklaters in London.

She also has extensive in-house experience following a role as general counsel at investment bank Carnegie Wylie (now Lazard Carnegie Wylie) and senior corporate counsel at Allco Finance Group.

Baker & McKenzie in Australia has also made an addition, with new projects and infrastructure partner Martin Irwin from Herbert Greer.

The appointment marks the firm's fourth lateral partner hire in Australia in the last eight months after those of tax specialist Ellen Thomas and employment lawyer Sean Selleck, both from King & Wood Mallesons, and that of life sciences expert Amanda Turnill from DLA piper.

Based in Melbourne, Irwin specialises in major projects and infrastructure and acts for institutional investors, lenders and other capital providers on a range of finance and transactional banking matters.

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