A&O creates new partners in Tokyo

International law firm Allen and Overy has appointed senior counsels Adam Moncrieff and Piyasena Perera to the partnership in the Tokyo office. Effective from 1 May 2004, the new appointments are part of a global promotion of 21 new partners throughout Allen and Overy's international network. The promotion of Moncrieff and Perera brings the number of Tokyo based partners to five.

Moncrieff's promotion to the partnership comes after seven years with Allen and Overy. Joining the firm's Hong Kong office in 1997, Moncrieff transferred to the Tokyo branch in 2002.

Moncrieff is currently acting on behalf of the Japanese arrangers for financings on an array of infrastructure products in the Middle East and Russia. He is also involved in a number of communications related debt restructurings in Japan, the Philippines, India and Pakistan.

He also has experience across structured finance, project finance and syndicated lending. His project financing experience extends through jurisdictions in Asia, the Middle East, South America and Australia, covering the mining, energy, transportation, petrochemical, power and telecommunications sectors.

Graduating from the University of Sydney in 1991, Moncrieff was admitted as a solicitor in Australia in 1992, and in England and Wales in 2003. Moncrieff also holds accreditation as a registered foreign lawyer in Japan.

Joining the firm's Tokyo office in 2002, Perera has focused on equity and debt securitisation transactions, secondary offerings, shelf registrations and private placements. He has also advised on M&A, private equity investment, corporate restructuring and corporate governance issues.

He is a register foreign lawyer in Japan and admitted to practice in California and New York. Perera holds an undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley and secured his law degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1990.

In a press release, Allen and Overy described the two promotions as a reflection of the firm's commitment to global expansion. "Moncrieff and Perera are both first-class lawyers and their appointment to the partnership is testament to Allen and Overy's commitment to Japan as well as a reflection of the firm's strategy of continuing the expansion of our Asian capability," comments Cees Vellekoop, the Tokyo branch's managing partner. "We've seen impressive growth in the number of deals on which we advise across the areas of corporate, banking and capital markets and these appointments will further reinforce our leading position in these areas in Japan."