Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has bulked up its Asia arm with two energy partner hires from Allens Arthur Robinson (AAR) and Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, as the firm prepares to launch in Singapore later this year.

Gavin MacLaren is set to join the magic circle firm from the Melbourne office of Australia’s AAR. It is understood that he will be based in Freshfields’ Singapore office when it launches later this year, working across the firm’s other Asia bases in the interim.