Clyde & Co pursues growth strategy in Asia

Clyde & Co is pursuing a strategy of growth in Asia, despite the departure of seven partners from its Hong Kong office in April, said the firm’s CEO Peter Hasson in an interview with AsiaLegalBusiness Online. The group of seven Hong Kong partners were working with Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, which merged with Clyde & Co in November 2011. The post-merger conditions evidently did not suit the group, and they scattered just before the deadline for equity partners to leave the combined firm without penalty.    Senior partner David Smyth, litigation partner Gary Yin, and insurance partners Antony Sassi and Andrew Horton are set to establish a Hong Kong office for UK firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain. Litigation partner Richard Keady and corporate partner Padraig Walsh will join Bird & Bird’s Hong Kong office, while litigation partner Tom Fyfe is joining the Hong Kong office of Simmons & Simmons. Since the merger between Clyde & Co and BLG in November 2011, the firm has bolstered its Asian presence with a number of key lateral hires. The firm hired Ian Cocking from Minter Ellison to launch and lead the firm’s regional construction and infrastructure practice, and took on construction partner Gilbert Kwok from Stephenson Harwood. Paul Jebely from Ashurst will lead Clyde & Co’s aviation finance practice, and Shanghai-based Michael Cripps joined the firm from Insurance Australia Group. Most recently on March 1, the firm hired energy and infrastructure partner Lynia Lau in Hong Kong from King & Wood Mallesons.

Clyde & Co pursues growth strategy in Asia asia.legalbusinessonline.com Tue, May 1, 2012