Stephenson Harwood builds Singapore business

International law firm Stephenson Harwood has boosted its Singapore office with the lateral hire of Steven Dewhurst, an insurance specialist with contentious and non-contentious experience of advising insurers, re-insurers and insurance intermediaries. Dewhurst joins from DLA Piper in Hong Kong where he was a partner for three years. Prior to this, he was at CMS Cameron McKenna in Hong Kong.

The firm says Dewhurst's appointment underlines Stephenson Harwood's continuing commitment to expand its presence in Singapore. Within the past year, the Singapore office has doubled its partner numbers from four to eight and over 20% of the firm's headcount is now located in Asia. Dewhurst joins Stephenson Harwood's Singapore office to expand the firm's insurance and reinsurance capabilities in Asia as the country grows rapidly as a centre for insurance and re-insurance business.

Dewhurst has worked in Hong Kong for eight years and knows the Asian market well. He has practised insurance law since 1993, advising on a diverse range of insurance-related issues, ranging from policy coverage advice and the drafting of wordings, regulatory and compliance work, to litigation and alternative dispute resolution. His practice covers the broad spectrum of financial and commercial lines, with particular expertise in directors' and officers' liability, professional indemnity and financial institutions risk. Dewhurst also has a corporate insurance practice, advising insurance clients on corporate structures, authorisation and licensing requirements, restructurings, product design and distribution arrangements.

Martin Green, managing partner of Stephenson Harwood's Singapore office says: "Steven's appointment is a real coup. We set up the corporate practice in Singapore just over one year ago and have been very successful in growing our corporate client base in the region. Steven's appointment will further enhance our offering to these clients and will attract a lot of business from insurance and re-insurance clients who are flocking to Singapore."

Dewhurst adds: "In recent years, Singapore has firmly established itself as a major hub for insurance and reinsurance in Asia. Stephenson Harwood is an established and trusted name in the region and I look forward to helping the firm map the needs of our insurance and reinsurance clients, right across the broad spectrum of their corporate and claims activity in Asia."