Law firm Norton Rose’s Hong Kong branch has grown its Asia practice by relocating Davide Barzilai from London.

Barzilai, who is a banking partner in the firm, has substantial experience in Islamic banking including: Islamic treasury management; Islamic project, property and structured trade finance; and Islamic and conventional shipping and asset finance.

This is a return to Asia for Barzilai, who worked at the firm’s Singapore office from 2005 to 2007.

“I am delighted to be joining the Hong Kong office. The growing demand for diverse banking capabilities has made this a natural move, and I look forward to strengthening our already strong banking practice in Asia,” notes Barzilai.

Peter Haslam, head of banking in Asia at Norton Rose, adds: “The arrival of Davide further strengthens our banking group and will allow us to increase our offerings substantially and extend a fuller range of services to our clients across the region.”

The move comes at a time when the legal practice is looking to expand its Islamic finance capabilities beyond the traditional markets in the Emea region, with the firm now boasting over 40 partner-level lawyers across Asia.