As the inevitable fallout from the $900m Bryan Cave/Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) tie-up continues, Addleshaw Goddard is following up on its Asia ambitions by announcing the hire of legacy BLP regional head Bob Charlton.
Based in Hong Kong, Charlton will lead Addleshaws’ Asia-Pacific operations, with firm-wide managing partner John Joyce telling Legal Business the firm is looking to triple the size of its regional capability. He added the firm would look to grow from four to at least 12 partners, spread across its Hong Kong and Singapore branches, and did not rule out adding further bases in the region.
Veteran Charlton boasts a long and varied career, having been a partner at Magic Circle firms Clifford Chance and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, as well as DLA Piper. During his time at DLA, he led the firm’s finance and projects group and, since May 2012, its Asia Pacific operations. He had been at legacy BLP since 2014.
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner also lost London-based former private client head and board member Jonathan Kropman to Trowers & Hamlins in April. Addleshaws, meanwhile, recruited former Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Middle East practice co-leader Ahmad Anani as its Qatar office head, bringing the number of laterals in 2018 to almost 20. ‘There’s a few more to land this year,’ added Joyce.