Shipping law firm Campbell Johnston Clark (CJC) is recruiting three new partners as it gears up for the next phase in its global growth.
The company told TradeWinds that two very senior partners will join this year in Singapore, and another partner will be added in London.
Director Jonathan Campbell said the new Singapore hires are "market-leading" names.
They will be bringing a team of three of four associates with them, building the Singapore office to 15 people.
CJC has 55 staff and 12 partners in London, Singapore and Newcastle, after adding two more partners last year.
It has also recently been joined by Alastair Macaulay, who was previously a partner at JSM and Clifford Chance Hong Kong.
He is described as a "very noted adviser to owners and financial institutions over many years" and he is also the only Marshall Islands-qualified lawyer in London.
Last month, CJC lost Siiri Duddington to Hill Dickinson. She followed former head of shipping Julian Clark, who became Hill Dickinson global head of shipping, and Tom Burdass, who left CJC to become legal director for the rival operation in 2017.
Critical mass attained
Of the new recruits, who can't yet be named, Campbell said: "We're very excited about that. We think we'll have the critical mass and the quality of people to be here for the next 20 to 30 years.
"Singapore is definitely the future of law in Asia."
The plan is for the Singapore operation to be the same size as London by 2021 or 2022.
CJC has strong business volumes in Turkey and Germany, and is now starting to think about opening up in Greece. Office rental is cheap in Piraeus and there is an excellent supply of lawyers, Campbell said.
"We're only seven years old and still in some ways a start-up. The last two years have been about taking stock - looking at where we would want to go," he added.
"The moves [of Duddington and others] were about trimming the fat of the business and setting ourselves up for the next expansion."
Campbell said the aim was always to allow the firm to flourish in wet, dry and ship finance and banking sectors.
"We've had trainees from day one and have promoted internally. We have got the partners with the commitment to really contribute to the growth of the firm."
