Offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes has launched its office in Hong Kong to offer clients and intermediaries access to the firm offshore legal service in an Asian time zone.

The Hong Kong office features three partners who will focus initially on investment funds and corporate and finance work.

Jonathan Rigby, managing partner of Mourant Ozannes, said: “Many of our clients, as well as the international law firms with whom we work so closely, are based in Asia or now have significant operations in the region. Establishing an office in Hong Kong, the region’s leading international finance centre, was an obvious strategic move for Mourant Ozannes.”

Paul Christopher has relocated to Hong Kong to oversee the establishment of the office as managing partner. He is joined by new Mourant Ozannes partners, Alex Last and Simon Lawrenson, who respectively will be heading the Cayman and BVI practice in Asia.

Senior lawyers, Danielle Roman and Bronwyn King, who both practice Cayman and BVI law are also new members of the Hong Kong office.

“Between them, the members of our Hong Kong team bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields, having practised with leading law firms in major finance centres both onshore and offshore,” Mr. Rigby said. “We are delighted that we have attracted individuals of such high calibre.”

In an interview with the Journal in January, Neal Lomax, managing partner at Mourant Ozannes in Cayman, said the Hong Kong office will be complementary to the Cayman office.

“The function of our Hong Kong office to a great extent will be to generate business that Cayman will service, in addition to the creation and establishing work that will all flow back into Cayman,” he said. “This in turn will generate fees both for the general registrar of companies and CIMA.”