Offshore law firm, Mourant Ozannes, has opened an office in Hong Kong to provide clients and intermediaries with access to the firm’s offshore legal services in an Asian time zone.
The office opening has been timed to coincide with celebrations for Chinese New Year, giving Mourant Ozannes’ Asian office an auspicious start date in 2012 – the Year of the Dragon.
The office has opened with three partners and will focus initially on investment funds, corporate and finance work for which the firm has an international reputation.
Paul Christopher (pictured), who specialises in corporate, investment funds and finance work, has relocated to Hong Kong to oversee the establishment of the office as Managing Partner. He is joined by new Mourant Ozannes partners, Alex Last and Simon Lawrenson. Alex heads the Cayman practice in Asia. He specialises in investment funds and previously worked for Freshfields in London and Maples and Calder in Hong Kong and Dubai. Simon leads the BVI practice in Asia. He specialises in corporate and finance and worked previously for Linklaters in London and Maples and Calder in the BVI.
Senior lawyers, Danielle Roman and Bronwyn King, have also joined the Hong Kong team. Danielle, a corporate and finance specialist, practises Cayman Islands and BVI law. She worked previously for Clifford Chance and Walkers in Hong Kong and prior to that for Denton Wilde Sapte in London. Bronwyn also practises Cayman Islands and BVI law. She specialises in investment funds and corporate finance and worked previously for Walkers in Hong Kong and London, Simmons and Simmons in Shanghai and Ogier in the BVI.
Jonathan Rigby, Managing Partner of Mourant Ozannes, said: "Many of our clients, as well as the international law firms with whom we work so closely, are based in Asia or now have significant operations in the region. Establishing an office in Hong Kong, the region’s leading international finance centre, was an obvious strategic move for Mourant Ozannes.
Between them, the members of our Hong Kong team bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields, having practised with leading law firms in major finance centres both onshore and offshore. We are delighted that we have attracted individuals of such high calibre."
Mourant Ozannes has more top tier legal directory rankings across its locations than any other offshore law firm. It acts for 19 of the world’s top 20 banks and advises more FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies than its competitors.
Mourant Ozannes acted as offshore legal counsel for Glencore in the first ever simultaneous listing on the Hong Kong and London stock exchanges, and the world’s largest IPO of 2011.
