Clyde & Co has appointed Omani advocates Ali Al Rashdi and Abdullah Al Nabhani to grow its dispute resolution practice in Oman. With these two hires, the firm adds local dispute resolution capabilities to its now 10-strong legal team in Muscat, less than a year after opening there in association with Fatma Al Mamari Advocacy and Legal Consultancy Firm. Al Rashdi is an experienced local advocate with an extensive background in arbitration. He brings more than 12 years of experience advising major corporate entities, government bodies and private individuals. Al Nabhani is a dispute resolution lawyer with over 10 years’ experience, advising local and international companies operating in Oman. Both are admitted before the Primary Courts and Courts of Appeal in the Sultanate of Oman and join Clyde & Co as senior associates.
Clyde & Co has also added a new partner in Sydney. Jacinta Studdert joins the firm with more than 25 years of experience in environment, development and planning law, including 18 years as a partner. Her practice focuses on environment and planning requirements, compliance, risk management and regulatory issues associated with property, project and infrastructure development. This includes residential, commercial and industrial developments, as well as the construction and operation of infrastructure, for transport, energy, resources, and waste and water facilities.
Gadens has appointed James Beckley as a partner in its corporate advisory team in Sydney. He joins Gadens from Ernst & Young, where he was a director in its corporate law team. Prior to that, he was part of the corporate & commercial law team at PwC, having joined there from Gadens in 2012. James brings extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, corporate fundraising, debt and equity restructures, foreign investment into Australia, and commercial contracts and compliance.
Morgan Lewis has hired Karun Cariappa, a corporate partner resident in Singapore, and Helen Fok, an investment management partner resident in Hong Kong. They both join from Simmons & Simmons. Cariappa, who was co-leader of the India practice at his previous firm, predominantly represents corporate issuers and investment banks. He focuses on securities offerings such as initial public offerings, follow-on offerings, private placements, bond offerings, and bond restructurings across Asia. Fok advises financial institutions, banks, asset managers, hedge fund managers, custodians, exchanges, alternative trading platforms, and sovereign wealth funds on all matters under the Securities and Futures Ordinance and the Banking Ordinance. The scope of her work includes advising on licensing applications for banks, stored value facilities and financial intermediaries, conduct of business rules, client asset rules, financial resources rules, and conflicts of interests.
Withers has added Junko Pitt (Shiokawa) as a partner in its Hong Kong office. Pitt joins from the Hong Kong office of Harneys, an offshore law firm, and specialises in investment funds, corporate and private clients. She has extensive experience acting as lead counsel for Japanese and other Asian financial institutions and investment managers in the structuring and formation of various types of funds, including private equity funds and hedge funds. She has also worked on a number of corporate matters, including Hong Kong IPOs and financing transactions of private and listed companies. In addition, Junko will continue to focus on Japanese private client matters including cross-border succession planning and divorce. Pitt started her career at Nagashima & Ohno (currently known as Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu). Prior to joining Withers, she spent over eight years working in offshore law firms. Before she moved to work in offshore law firms, she was a director at Barclays Capital Japan and has also worked as an associate for Sullivan & Cromwell in its New York and Tokyo offices.
