London-headquartered firm Addleshaw Goddard has gained a foothold in Singapore’s maritime law scene with the recruitment of former Ince & Co lawyer Ton van den Bosch as a partner on its corporate team.
Van den Bosch was previously Ince’s head of global terminals and maritime infrastructure practice as well as head of its energy and projects team in South and South East Asia. He begins at Addleshaw Goddard on 1 February.
Growth across Asia
Although still on gardening leave this week, he told TradeWinds he will continue to focus on maritime and energy infrastructure, which he noted has traditionally had a strong link with general maritime law.
“Terminals are next to water so there has always been a crossover.
"While I will continue to focus on the sectors that I know best, there will be opportunities to work with AG [Addleshaw Goddard]’s maritime law specialists in London,” he said.
Van den Bosch said that he was recruited directly by Bob Charlton, Addleshaw Goddard's head of Asia.
Although better known in the UK and the Middle East, Addleshaw Goddard has grown from one partner and paralegal in Singapore in 2012, to six partners and about 35 other lawyers across Asia.
Charlton describes Asia as being an exciting market and added that the new areas of expertise, such as what Van den Bosch will bring, will allow the firm to penetrate new sectors in the region.
'Double-digit' plans
“It means we can grow our corporate offering in the region and strengthen links with the Middle East, India and Africa. Our plans are to be a double-digit partner business by the 2021 financial year,” Charlton said.
Addleshaw Goddard focuses on commercial litigation, transactional and retail law for the industrial, utilities, energy, transport, healthcare and real-estate sectors.
Van den Bosch suggested that the law firm would likely delve further into the Asian maritime law sector as it expands its size and scope of services in the region.
