Stephenson Harwood seals DLA hire in Singapore

Stephenson Harwood has bolstered its Asian practice with the hire of insurance specialist Steven Dewhurst to the firm's Singapore office.

Dewhurst joins the firm as a partner from DLA Piper in Hong Kong, where he was a partner for three years. Prior to that he was part of CMS Cameron McKenna's Hong Kong office.

Dewhurst has worked in the Hong Kong insurance market for eight years, focusing on policy coverage, regulatory and compliance work. He also has litigation and dispute resolution experience.

His hire brings Stephenson Harwood's total number of partners in Singapore to eight.

"Steven's appointment marks a real coup for us," commented Singapore managing partner Martin Green.

He added: "He has a strong track record in the insurance market and straddles contentious and non-contentious work. His appointment will further enhance our offering to clients and will attract a lot of business from insurance and reinsurance clients who are flocking to Singapore."

Last year the top 40 UK firm boosted its admiralty practice in Singapore with the September hire of specialist Timothy Elsworth.

Elsworth, a former deck officer, joined the firm as a partner from Australian practice Ebsworth & Ebsworth, where he was a partner for nine years.

Over 20% of Stephenson Harwood's headcount is located in Asia, with the firm planning to continue its expansion in Singapore throughout 2009.

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