Ashurst Hong Kong finance and restructuring partner Bertie Mehigan has left to join local boutique Howse Williams Bowers (HWB).

Mehigan is bringing a team of four associates and one support lawyer with him.

He joined Ashurst in 2014 from the Singapore office of O'Melveny & Myers, where he was also a partner. He focuses his practice on cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters, with emphases on Indonesia- and China-related deals. 

Mehigan's departure from Ashurst follows that of former Hong Kong finance partner Doo-Soon Choi to Mayer Brown JSM last month.

The firm has also seen a number of departures from its London office in recent months. Last week, a three-partner finance team quit for Paul Hastings, as Latham & Watkins announced the hire of regulatory partner Nicola Higgs in the City.

Ashurst announced disappointing financial results for 2015-16, with revenue and profit per equity partner both falling for the second year running.

Before launching the Singapore office for O'Melveny in 2008, Mehigan headed the Asia banking, finance and restructuring practice for White & Case for eight years. Prior to that, he headed the first Singapore office of Morgan Lewis & Bockius between 1996 and 2000, after a brief stint at the now defunct Couderts Brothers' outpost in the city-state.

So far this year, HWB has recruited real estate partner Janet Lee from the Hong Kong government's Lands Department, banking partner Antony Yung from JP Morgan & Co, and corporate partner Christopher Yu from Goodwin Procter.