Ashurst targets India via Asia base
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Ashurst’s India group head has said the firm is looking to Asia to promote its Indian presence after a ruling in the Bombay High Court effectively forced it to shut its New Delhi liaison office.
The firm decided last week to close the office after the court ruled in December 2009 that the Reserve Bank of India should not have granted it a licence to open a liaison office (TheLawyer. com, 19 February).
India group head Richard Gubbins said: “We never practised law there, so it had served its purpose from our point of view. We’re turning our attention to Asia - there’s very much a shift to targeting India from there rather than London.”
Although Gubbins is based in London, Ashurst’s India strategy is focused on four sectors, each now overseen from Asian offices.
Former Allen & Overy partner Keith McGuire takes charge of the Indian corporate offering from Singapore, while Matthew Bubb, also in Singapore, looks after the firm’s infrastructure offering alongside Dubai partner Joss Dare.
Abu Dhabi partner David Wadham oversees Ashurst’s Indian energy business, while the finance side is covered by the Hong Kong and Singapore offices.
