Johnston primarily focuses on dispute resolution. He joined Herbert Smith in 1995 in London and worked there for five years before moving to the firmÆs Hong Kong offices in 2001. Since early 2006 Johnston has been based in Shanghai, with regular travel to Hong Kong and Beijing.
Herbert Smith says the Shanghai office has been established to assist foreign companies with capital investments in China that have run into disputes or other problems threatening their investment. It will also service domestic companies that have been increasingly exposed to foreign legal and regulatory regimes as a result of raising funds abroad or expanding into overseas markets.
