Squire Patton Boggs has hired a team of public international law disputes specialists in Singapore from Harry Elias Partnership as the US firm continues to expand its presence in the southeast Asian city state.

Rodman Bundy – former global co-head of arbitration at Eversheds Sutherland – joins the firm’s international dispute resolution practice group as a partner alongside ex-Harry Elias colleague Alvin Yap. The duo’s departure from Harry Elias follows the firm’s split with its Singapore ally Eversheds Sutherland last June. Bundy has around four decades of experience as counsel and advocate in high-profile global litigations and investment arbitrations.

Stephen Anway, global co-leader of Squire Patton Boggs’ international dispute resolution practice, said: “Rod is one of the most renowned international law advocates in the world, and we are extremely excited to have him join our growing international disputes team. In Rod and Alvin, we have gained two highly experienced, well-connected lawyers operating in one of the fastest-growing seats of international arbitration in the world.”

Bundy started his career at Curtis Mallet-Prevost in New York and London before relocating to Paris to join Frere Cholmeley Bischoff in 1984, which would later become Eversheds. He relocated to Singapore with Eversheds in 2013 before its short-lived merger with Harry Elias in 2017. Bundy remained as a partner and director of Harry Elias’s dispute resolution group following its separation from Eversheds last year.

Yap joined Eversheds in Singapore in 2014 as an associate, being promoted to of counsel in 2019 and, like Bundy, remaining at Harry Elias following its divorce from Eversheds.

Cameron Ford, a partner in the Squire Patton Boggs’ Singapore disputes practice, said: “Rod and Alvin will strengthen our reputation in representing sovereign nations, adding state-to-state and public international law expertise to our already dominant practice and putting our team at the forefront of this area in Asia.”

Bundy and Yap’s arrival follows a number of recent additions to Squire Patton Boggs’ Singapore office. Earlier this year it hired Clifford Chance’s Asia Pacific maritime head Kate Sherrard along with a senior associate.

Last year the firm also hired a six-strong commodities and shipping team from HFW, which included Singapore-based partner Chris Swart and associate Patrick Greaney. The firm also hired HFW’s former Singapore head of corporate and corporate finance Brian Gordon.