Bob Charlton is joining Addleshaw Goddard as Head of its Asia Pacific region after more than three years leading the region at Berwin Leighton Paisner where he has been Head of Asia since 2014.

The appointment by AG of such an influential law firm leader marks a new phase in the development of its business in Singapore, Hong Kong and China where one of Bob’s key roles will be to substantially increase AG’s partner and associate headcount in order to deliver planned growth across the region.

Following four successful years as Head of Asia at AG, which has seen both fee income and headcount growth, Nigel Francis as an accomplished disputes lawyer who has been present in the region for over 30 years will now return to focus full-time on his contentious practice in Hong Kong and the region.

2017/18 has been a very successful year for partner hires by AG, following a period of sustained growth across the business. Bob Charlton is one of nearly 20 new partners added to teams in London, Scotland, Leeds, Manchester, Asia and the GCC.

Bob has spent a considerable portion of his career based in Asia, including stints in Japan, Singapore and Brunei with Clifford Chance as well as serving DLA Piper as its Hong Kong based Managing Director of Asia Pacific and BLP as its Hong Kong based Head of Asia. Bob has over 30 years of experience as a leading international transactional lawyer from his time with Clifford Chance then Freshfields and has also fulfilled senior leadership and management roles with Freshfields, DLA Piper and BLP across London, MENA and Asia Pacific.

John Joyce, Addleshaw Goddard Managing Partner, said:

"We are making significant progress in relation to the international expansion of our business and Nigel has our thanks for the formative role he has played for us in Hong Kong. Delivering the next phase of our plan for the Asia Pacific region requires dedicated leadership in the region which will bring even greater connectivity in the market, and we are therefore very happy adding to the leadership team someone with Bob's leadership experience, reputation, board-level relationships, and intimate market knowledge.

Bob will have a critical role to play in building a stronger presence for AG in the region, adding materially to our presence on the ground at both partner and associate level, helping us to penetrate new markets, and unlock new work for our Corporate and Commercial, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Funds teams.

Our presence in Singapore and Hong Kong at the gateway to the world's fastest growing economy means we are well placed to win a greater share of in and outbound business and with Asia predicted to generate 55 per cent of all world-wide legal services by 2025, it remains an essential financial centre from which to service clients."

Addleshaw Goddard has grown in Asia from one partner and paralegal in 2012, to a total current complement of 4 partners, and more than 30 other fee earners. The firm also maintains dedicated regional business groups for mainland China, India, Korea, and Malaysia led by partners with substantial expertise and experience of operating in these jurisdictions. In 2013, Addleshaw Goddard announced a formal alliance with Hashidate Law Office which continues.

In Hong Kong, Addleshaw Goddard delivers a full range of contentious, corporate and commercial issues, including commercial litigation and international arbitration, investigations and financial regulatory advice, foreign direct investment, commercial contracts, employment (contentious and non-contentious) and equity capital markets/IPOs. Complimenting Andrew Yang's M&A practice, the equity capital markets team led by Daniel Wan has established a strong reputation amongst listing applicants and investment banks and is one of the top 5 Hong Kong law firms acting for underwriters in terms of total number of successful Hong Kong IPOs in each of the last three years.