International law firm Bird & Bird announces the hire of cross-border arbitration expert John Rainbird as a partner of Bird & Bird LLP in its international Dispute Resolution team. John will be based in Singapore as a Registered Foreign Lawyer.
Based in Asia since 2011, John advises clients on complex commercial disputes, particularly cross-border arbitrations in Southeast Asia (notably Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia) and Japan. John handles disputes in a broad range of sectors, from renewables to private capital to technology, although he has a particular focus on energy-related matters. His practice covers general contractual disputes, such as post-M&A indemnity claims, joint venture disputes, shareholder disputes, and construction disputes.
Previously at A&O Shearman in Singapore and Tokyo, John joins Bird & Bird LLP at an exciting time of ambitious growth as part of the firm’s five-year strategy and complements the recent hire of M&A partner Shahin Foroughian in Singapore, who also has extensive experience working across Southeast Asia and Japan.
John will work closely with the Bird & Bird team in Tokyo, supporting Japanese clients on their cross-border disputes. Bird & Bird launched its Tokyo office last year as the firm continues to grow in key markets.
Evelyn Tjon-En-Fa and Sophie Eyre, co-heads of Bird & Bird’s international Disputes Resolution Group comment: "With Singapore's standing as a global dispute resolution hub, John's substantial energy, engineering and tech expertise, coupled with his extensive work on arbitrations throughout the region, aligns perfectly with the strengths of the existing team both in Singapore and internationally. Welcome to the team, John!”
Jeremy Tan, Singapore Managing Partner at Bird & Bird comments: "John is joining our team at an exciting time of ambitious growth. Southeast Asia is experiencing significant investment in the energy, utilities, and infrastructure sectors and John’s expertise in cross-border disputes across Southeast Asia and Japan will be invaluable in supporting our clients navigate the complexities of cross-border investments and collaborations, particularly as nations diversify their energy portfolios."
John adds: “I’m very excited to be a part Bird & Bird’s growing, ambitious and collaborative team. The firm’s depth and breadth of expertise both domestically and globally, as well as their ‘One firm’ approach, is an excellent platform to support clients with their complex disputes needs. I’m very much looking forward to collaborating with colleagues across the Bird & Bird network.”
