Mallesons Stephen Jaques has announced the appointment of leading arbitrator Neil Kaplan CBE QC SBS, who joined the firm’s Hong Kong office on 5 November 2009 as an International Arbitration Adviser. With more than 40 years’ experience in dispute resolution, Kaplan’s distinguished career includes a practice at the London Bar, working as a government lawyer in Hong Kong, a practice as a Queen’s Counsel in Hong Kong, and as the judge in charge of the Construction and Arbitration list of the Hong Kong High Court. During the past 14 years, he has solely performed the role of international arbitrator and is currently a council member of the International Committee for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA) and the Australian Centre for International Arbitration (ACICA). Throughout his extensive career, Kaplan has also enjoyed other various arbitration-related roles including President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and, from 1991 to 2004, the role of Chairman of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.

Keen to strengthen its service offering in the Australian property funds management space, DLA Phillips Fox has appointed a trio of lawyers from boutique commercial law firm Hutchinson Macafee to its Melbourne office. Amongst the new appointments are John Hutchinson and Tony Macafee, who joined the firm’s partnership effective from 9 November 2009. Experienced legal advisers in relation to property funds management (including both transactional and regulatory advice for listed and unlisted funds), both Hutchison and Macafee have previously held in-house roles, as General Counsel to Centro Properties Group and General Counsel for Funds Management with Becton Property Group respectively. Hutchison was also previously a corporate partner at Freehills. The two new partners will be joined by Special Counsel Alice Calderwood, also from Hutchinson Macafee. It is hoped that they will assist with building DLA Phillips Fox’s corporate, real estate and superannuation practices.

It appears that litigation lawyer Simon Clarke is set to move to the Hong Kong office of Allen & Overy, where he will join the firm’s litigation and arbitration practice as a partner. Clarke currently holds a partnership post with Mallesons Stephen Jaques in Hong Kong, a position he has held since 2004 when the Australian firm merged with his then-incumbent firm. Allen & Overy appear keen to make use of Clarke’s 15 years of experience in handling complex litigation and contentious regulatory work in Asia, not to mention his white collar defence experience which the firm believes will assist its clients to address the risks of criminal sanctions which are arising with increasing frequency as regulators tighten their grip. It is not yet clear exactly when Clarke will be in a position to join the A&O team as he is currently holding discussions with Mallesons about the terms and timing of his intended departure.


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