Moves – 8 July 2010

Blake Dawson has appointed Simon Irvine as a partner in its Banking & Finance practice in Sydney. Seeking to build this practice to cater for a growing demand in the energy, resources and infrastructure sectors, and to address the increasing need for private capital to fund new projects, the firm will benefit from Irvine’s experience which includes working on a range of major project financing deals in these sectors in Australia, London, Singapore and Hong Kong. Since his arrival in Australia he has held a partnership post at Clayton Utz, where he had lead roles on several significant projects including advising the successful consortium on the Victorian Desalination Project (one of Asian-Counsel’s Deals of the Year 2009). During his time in Asia, Irvine practised extensively in the oil and gas sector, and advised finance parties on the US$5 billion Tangguh LNG project in Indonesia, and the US$4.6 billion CSPC-Nanhai Petrochemicals Project in China, amongst others.

Indus Law has announced that Kartik Ganapathy has joined the firm as an equity partner and member of its Fund and Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Most recently a partner and member of the Executive Committee at Nishith Desai Associates, where he led that firm’s Fund Investment Practice and managed its Bangalore office, Ganapathy specialises in securities law, structured finance transactions and venture capital and private equity transactions across sectors. Commenting on his move, Ganapathy said, “Indus Law represents a wonderful opportunity to join like-minded individuals with a contemporary outlook to the practice of law, and be part of an exciting growth story. I believe that together we can make Indus Law the “go to” firm for legal advice and counsel in the financial sector and particularly for private equity, venture capital and M&A.”

Latham & Watkins’ Hong Kong office has received a new addition with the appointment of Simon Powell as a partner in the firm’s litigation department. Previously a partner with Jones Day in Hong Kong, Powell has been tasked with leading the development of the firm’s litigation practice in the region. He has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation cases and arbitration proceedings, and with a practice spanning numerous sectors – including financial services, accounting, telecommunications, construction and infrastructure – he has advised on a number of high profile matters in Hong Kong and Greater China. Powell, who received his LLB from the University of Leeds in 1986, has had a particular focus in contentious insolvencies, securities and shareholder disputes, white collar and government investigations, and antitrust and competition matters thoughout his career.

Mayer Brown JSM has appointed Benjamin Sandstad to its structured finance practice in Hong Kong, as a consultant. Previously a partner at Clayton Utz’s Sydney office in that firm’s structured capital markets team, Sandstad also worked in the Hong Kong and Tokyo offices of Linklaters earlier in his career, and has more than 10 years of experience in domestic and international securitisation, structured finance transactions and derivatives involving a wide range of jurisdictions and asst classes. He has also structured and acted for various participants in several Islamic finance-based transactions.

Former Supreme Court Justice Yong Dam Kim, who holds the record as the longest serving judge in Korea, has joined Shin & Kim. Kim served as a judge for 37 years and 5 months until his retirement in September 2009. He joined the firm on 1 July 2010. Having passed the national judicial examination in 1970, Kim started his judicial career at Chuncheon District Court in 1972, and was later appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in September 2003 after holding various positions within the Korean Judiciary, including the roles of Chief Judge of the Pusan District Court, the Seoul Civil District Court, the Pusan High Court and the Seoul High Court. Kim’s appointment, which bolsters Shin & Kim’s litigation practice, follows the appointments earlier in the year of Man Hou, a former Chief Judge of the Criminal Department at the Seoul Central District Court; Jin-Ho Jeong, a former Chief Judge of the Criminal Department at the Seoul Dongbu District Court; and Yong Joon Cho, a former Chief Judge of the Seoul Central District Court.