Ashurst adds Tokyo partner with SNR Denton hire

Mantle, who was a senior associate at Ashurst in the Japanese city before joining SNR Denton’s Moscow base as a partner in 2007 (14 May 2007), is set to return to Tokyo.

Mantle focuses on infrastructure and transport projects, oil and gas, ship and aircraft finance and commodities finance. While at Ashurst he spent 18 months on secondment to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

Ashurst Tokyo managing partner John McClenahan, who worked with Mantle before he joined SNR Denton, said in a statement: “Myles has significant expertise in both lender and sponsor work and is well known to and highly regarded by many of our Japanese and Korean clients. His appointment reflects the level of activity in the practice and will allow us to further capitalise on the many opportunities in the market.”

Asia head Geoffrey Green added: “We have a market leading position in project and asset finance, working with many key Japanese and Korean companies, export credit agencies and commercial banks. The level of outbound energy and resource projects is set to continue and Myles will play an invaluable role in helping us to develop the practice further.”

The move comes amid attempts by Ashurst to bulk in Asia in the wake of its tie-up with Australia’s Blake Dawson earlier this year, with Beijing and Seoul launches in the pipeline (8 June 2012).