Allen & Overy (A&O) has appointed dispute resolution specialist Peter Thorp as the new managing partner of the magic circle firm’s Beijing office.

Thorp has more than 10 years of experience in dispute resolution, mergers and acquisitions and projects both in the People’s Republic of China and in Europe. He was recently appointed to the Panel of Arbitrators of CIETAC, China’s largest international arbitration commission.

The appointment was effective from 1 May.