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

Ropes & Gray has ramped up its investigations team in Asia, with the hire of US federal prosecutor Patrick Sinclair as a partner in its government enforcement group.

The Boston firm, which is representing GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on its bribery investigation, is among a string of outfits trying to increase capability in this practice as regional investigations of global companies and banks continue to surge.

It claims to have handled more than 320 corruption cases in Asia over the past five years.

Sinclair most recently worked as the deputy chief of general crimes in the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, and has joined R&G in the city with a view to relocating to Hong Kong early next year. He was previously an associate with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

Paul Hastings has meanwhile lost Tokyo finance partner Joseph Kim to Hogan Lovells.

Kim has joined the firm as a partner in the infrastructure, energy, resources and projects team, and is expected to help boost its Japan and Korea outbound investment offering.

His focus is on power projects, upstream and midstream natural resource projects and renewable energy projects. He has strong contacts with global clients such as Standard Chartered Bank, Marubeni, K-Exim and K-Sure.

In Singapore, Stephenson Harwood's alliance partner Virtus Law has strengthened its corporate practice with the addition of Douglas Koh from local outfit Colin Ng & Partners.

Koh specialises in equity capital markets and M&A in Asia, with a particular focus on China.

Also in the city-state, Norton Rose Fulbright has brought on board technology and innovation partner Stella Cramer from Standard Chartered, where she was head of group legal and compliance.

She has been based in Singapore for the last four years, firstly at ANZ Banking Group, and most recently at Standard Chartered Bank.

In China this month, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer lawyer Ethan Jin has moved to US firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, joining as a partner in Beijing.

Jin focuses on China capital markets and M&A work, and is important hire for the firm which has long been seeking to add to its Beijing offering.

Meanwhile in Beijing, Rouse partner George Chan has moved across to Simmons & Simmons to launch a specialist trade mark practice for the firm in China.

An IP lawyer, Chan has particular experience in the regulatory approval requirements for drugs, trade secrets protection, trade mark and patent prosecution; as well as the negotiation and drafting of IP agreements, IP enforcement and domain name dispute resolution.

Down under Australian firm HWL Ebsworth has recently added to its restructuring and insolvency team in Brisbane with the hire of Matthew Broderick from Gadens in Queensland.

Broderick has spent more than 18 years' covering all stages of restructuring and insolvency, including banking litigation and securities enforcement, receivership, liquidator's recovery actions, bankruptcy, voluntary administration and taxation recoveries.

His appointment brings the practice to twenty partners.

The Brisbane office of K&L Gates has meanwhile recruited Robert Milbourne as a partner in its energy, infrastructure and resources practice area from Norton Rose Fulbright.

Milbourne's practice concentrates on corporate transactions in the mining and resources sector, advising clients on corporate governance, exploration, project development, and M&A, with a particular focus on political risk insurance matters.

Boosting its corporate team in Perth this month is Squire Patton Boggs, which has appointed partner Simon Rear and a team of lawyers from Allion Legal.

Rear works mainly on M&A and capital markets deals, and previously spent four years with Herbert Smith. He focuses predominantly on hard rock resources and mining, alongsde technology, insurance, finance and property.

Joining with Rear are senior associate Chris Rosario and associates Ben Stewart and Pasan Wijesuriya.

On the IP side, Clayton Utz has taken on Gilbert + Tobin partner Ken Saurajen to boost its IP and technology practice.

Saurajen has practised for 10 years, including time spent in-house as a corporate counsel with ninemsn and SingTel Optus.

He specialises in large-scale and complex IT procurements, outsourcing and transformation projects, software and technology licensing, electronic payment systems and telecommunications.

Two magic circle partners have also joined Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong recently.

Rowan McKenzie has moved across from Linklaters where he served as head of the employment and incentives practice in Asia, while Stephen Crosswell, a competition lawyer, has also come on board from Clifford Chance - previously head of antitrust and competition in Hong Kong.

Joining McKenzie is employment senior associate Catherine Leung from Howse Williams Bowers. 

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