Jones Day bolsters Singapore partner ranks with Allens Duo

The two partners, Matthew Skinner and Darren Murphy, join from Linklaters’ Australian ally Allens (formerly Allens Arthur Robinson) in Singapore.

Skinner focuses on dispute resolution, particularly international arbitration. He has handled a range of cases across the region. He moved from Allens’ Sydney office to Singapore in 2010 to head the firm’s South East Asia disputes practice (10 June 2010).

Murphy, who is to join Jones Day in the coming months, is an experienced energy and resources lawyer. He became a partner at the Australian firm in 2007 and relocated from Perth to Singapore together with Skinner in 2010. He has advised clients on a number of mining, petroleum and other projects across the Asia-Pacific region

It is understood that one more partner will be joining Jones Day, from Herbert Smith Freehills’ Singapore office, in the coming months.

In June 2012, the firm hired two partners from K&L Gates’ Singapore office: Kevin Murphy and Michael Pollen. Murphy, a corporate and restructuring partner, left DLA Piper’s Singapore office to establish K&L Gates’ Singapore office in 2009 (29 March 2009). Fellow ex-DLA Piper partner Pollen, who specialises in dispute resolution, joined Murphy at K&L Gates in 2010.

With the new appointments Jones Day’s Singapore office will have 10 resident partners by the end of the year. Jones Day’s partner recruitment efforts are in line with the firm’s strategic expansion in Singapore. It is among 23 foreign law firms that have applied for a QFLP licence (7 September 2012).

Jones Day did not repond in time to comment.