Bird & Bird grows its Dispute Resolution practice in Asia-Pacific with the hires of Danny Leung and Jonathon Ellis as partners

Following the hire of Sydney-based Dispute Resolution partner Julie Cheeseman in September, Danny and Jonathon’s appointments are a key part of the strategic growth of Bird & Bird’s international Dispute Resolution team across the Asia-pacific region.

Danny Leung

With over 20 years’ experience, Danny joins Bird & Bird from Haiwen & Partners LLP where he was a partner since 2019. Prior to this, he worked in a leading international law firm and as senior legal counsel of a Fortune 500 company, providing him with valuable insights into client issues. He specialises in complex commercial litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations and anti-money laundering laws. He also advises clients on financial services disputes, shareholders' disputes, fraud and asset recovery, employment, product liability, judicial review and contentious insolvency.

At Bird & Bird, Danny will lead the Dispute Resolution practice in Hong Kong focusing on commercial disputes and regulatory investigation work as well as fostering relationships with corporate clients and licensed corporations. Danny has been ranked as a leading individual in Chambers Global and Chambers Asia Pacific.

Jonathon Ellis

Jonathon joins Bird & Bird from DLA Piper where he has been a partner since May 2020 leading the firm’s Australian Defence and Aerospace practice. Jonathon has over 15 years’ experience in commercial dispute resolution having worked on some of Australia’s most complex and high-profile disputes and assisting international clients on navigating the complex commercial and regulatory framework in Australia across a range of sectors. His work includes acting for clients on major technology, defence, automotive and financial services sector commercial disputes; advising on anti-bribery and corruption law issues and conducting multi-jurisdiction investigations; and assisting clients to respond to large regulatory investigations and resulting proceedings. Jonathon also has extensive cross-border disputes experience involving jurisdictions including the USA, Guernsey, Jersey, Iceland, the BVI and Luxembourg.

In 2020, The Legal 500 listed Jonathon as a “Rising Star” in dispute resolution and he has been acknowledged as a "practitioner to note" for anti-bribery and corruption work and financial services disputes. In 2021, Jonathon also won the white-collar crime category at IFLR’s Rising Stars Awards for Asia Pacific.

Sophie Eyre and Evelyn Tjon-En-Fa, co-heads of the Dispute Resolution practice at Bird & Bird say: “We are very excited to welcome two new partners to our international Dispute Resolution team. Danny brings with him a wealth of experience in high-profile investigations and settlement negotiations. His work with a variety of financial institutions across the sector made him an ideal partner to lead our Dispute Resolution practice in Hong Kong. His appointment will further strengthen our sector-focused offering across Asia-Pacific.

In Sydney, our Dispute Resolution practice has already proven itself to be an area of significant growth. With Jonathon joining the team, we’ll be able to consolidate and build on that growth and help our Australian and international clients navigate complex disputes and regulatory challenges. Welcome to the team Danny and Jonathon!”

Danny, himself says: “I’m delighted to join Bird & Bird’s global network. The firm will allow me to grow my practice and continue building relationships with cutting-edge clients in the financial services space. I’m looking forward to connecting with colleagues across the firm and cultivating Bird & Bird’s one firm culture.”

Jonathon himself adds: “I’m excited to be joining such a collaborative international partnership and to start building relationships with my new colleagues in Australia and across the firm’s network. The strength of the global Bird & Bird brand will provide me with the ideal platform to build a top-tier disputes practice.”