Big Law Weekly: Asia, 28 September – 4 October 2026

US and international firms spent the week extending across the Asia-Pacific, with Australia and Japan drawing the heaviest activity. Jones Day added five partners in Sydney and Brisbane drawn from Norton Rose Fulbright, MinterEllison, Gilbert + Tobin, Baker McKenzie and Clayton Utz, according to Lawyers Weekly. Wilson Sonsini set plans to open in Singapore, Freshfields appointed a Tokyo M&A partner, and Withers launched a Tokyo disputes practice.

Disputes and M&A ran through most of the week's hires. Capital-markets mandates across India, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea drew large firm line-ups.

Jones Day adds five Australian partners from domestic market leaders

Jones Day's five Australian partners are Dylan McKimmie (disputes, Brisbane, from Norton Rose Fulbright), Leigh De Jong (real estate and financial markets, from MinterEllison), Christopher Flynn (energy, from Gilbert + Tobin), Lance Sacks (M&A, from Baker McKenzie) and Ken Saurajen (IP, from Clayton Utz), all in Sydney except McKimmie, per Jones Day. The firm frames the five practices around cross-border M&A, energy and infrastructure, complex litigation and arbitration, real estate and IP.

The hires take Jones Day to 18 lateral partners in Australia since mid-2024, and 10 in 2026 alone, growing it from 90 to 120 lawyers across Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, Lawyers Weekly reported. The firm earlier hired Milbank's APAC restructuring head Nicholas Dunstone in Sydney under the same plan, Law.asia reported.

The pattern tracks the US lateral market, where moves hit 3,009 in 2025, a five-year high up 17.8 per cent, with litigation taking the largest share at 26 per cent, per NALP. Kirkland & Ellis was the most active firm, with 116 hires, The Global Legal Post reported. An appointments roundup for 30 September named Jones Day, Hall & Wilcox and Gilchrist Connell among firms changing their ranks, Australasian Lawyer; Ashurst Perkins Coie, Clayton Utz and Gilbert + Tobin rolled out Launchpad 2 Law, a pathway into law for students from rural and regional New South Wales, Australasian Lawyer.

Wilson Sonsini enters Singapore while Withers launches Tokyo disputes

Wilson Sonsini will open a Singapore office with two on-the-ground partners, extending its Asia footprint beyond Greater China some 18 months after closing its Beijing office, Law.com reported. Withers launched a Tokyo arbitration and litigation practice with Hiroko Nihei, who co-founded Hillford Law after O'Melveny & Myers closed its Tokyo office in 2025, per Conventus Law. Wotton Kearney, a Sydney insurance firm, hired a shipping and commodities disputes team in Singapore, two months after absorbing a New Zealand maritime boutique, Australasian Lawyer reported.

Freshfields appointed Gregory Salathé to its Global M&A and Capital practice in Tokyo from 1 October, joining from PAG, where he was Partner and Group General Counsel, Freshfields said. DLA Piper's Japan international arbitration head Tony Andriotis is leaving after six years to become global head of disputes and regulatory at a newly launched firm, Law.com reported. Mori Hamada will add Dallas, Houston and Kyoto in 2027, after moving into New York, California and London, Law.com reported. A regional roundup noted senior hires across Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Australia at firms including Wilson Sonsini, Sparke Helmore and Yoon & Yang, Law.com.

Clifford Chance and CMS add Hong Kong partners as Commerce & Finance names a senior adviser

Clifford Chance hired Jonathan Chu (朱玮骅), former head of CMS's Beijing representative office and a CMS Hong Kong partner from 2020, as its Asia-Pacific IP practice head, Law.asia reported. CMS promoted Candy Tong and Mengyi Chen to partner in its IP and technology practice in Hong Kong from 1 October, working across its integrated Hong Kong and Beijing platform, Asia Law Portal reported. Commerce & Finance (通商) brought in 张恺欣, former head of listed-company advisory at Freshfields, as a senior adviser in Hong Kong, Law.asia reported.

In New Delhi, Ankit Jain joined JSA Advocates & Solicitors as a disputes partner, with a decade in complex litigation focused on renewable-energy and EPC infrastructure disputes, Law.asia reported.

NSE's $2.36bn IPO and Hong Kong's $2.6bn digital bond lead the deals

Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, Trilegal and Sidley Austin advised on the National Stock Exchange of India's USD2.36 billion IPO, the largest in India in 2026 and the biggest financial-services listing in the country, Law.asia reported. A&O Shearman and Linklaters advised on Hong Kong's record USD2.6 billion digital bond, having now worked on all four of the government's digital green bond offerings since 2023, Law.com reported. Romulo Law and Milbank advised GCash parent Mynt, with ACCRALAW and Latham & Watkins acting for the underwriters, on what is set to be the Philippines' largest IPO, Law.com reported.

Freshfields, Grandall, Katten Muchin Rosenman, Latham & Watkins and Jia Yuan advised on RoboTechnik Intelligent Technology's HKEX main board listing on 29 September, which raised HKD5.18 billion and created an A+H dual-listing, Law.asia reported. Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, TT&A, Trilegal and Hogan Lovells acted on Rentomojo's USD130.8 million IPO on the NSE and BSE, Law.asia reported. Shin & Kim and Yulchon advised Hanwha Life on its USD322 million purchase of a controlling stake in Acuon Capital from EQT, Law.asia reported. DSK Legal and Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu advised Japan's KRS Corporation on a majority stake in Coldrush Logistics, Law.asia reported.

Pinsent Masons elects Richard Griffiths as KPMG's Anne Collins retires

Pinsent Masons elected Richard Griffiths as managing partner from 1 November, replacing Laura Cameron and working alongside senior partner John Maciver; Griffiths leads the firm's global property group, which grew 13 per cent over his two years at its head, Law.asia reported. KPMG International's top lawyer, Anne Collins, is retiring after serving as global general counsel since 2016, Law.com reported.

The week's hires centred on Australia, Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong, with disputes and M&A the practices firms moved into most. The partners came largely from domestic market leaders and established international firms, and the largest mandates clustered in capital markets across India, Hong Kong, the Philippines and South Korea.

The full list of the week's moves is on the Asia week page.