mai 04 2022
Mayer Brown expands International Arbitration practice in Singapore with arrival of Kay-Jannes Wegner
Mayer Brown announced today that leading international arbitration partner, Kay-Jannes Wegner, has joined its Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice in Singapore, along with senior associate, Edern Coënt. Both join from Kim & Chang in South Korea, where Mr. Wegner was a senior member of that firm's international & cross-border litigation practice and head of its European arbitration desk. Prior to joining Kim & Chang, as an English and German qualified lawyer, Mr. Wegner practiced international arbitration at leading international law firms in London and Singapore. Mr. Coënt is a New York and French qualified lawyer who has worked in Paris, Hong Kong and Seoul, including at the Secretariat of the ICC Court of Arbitration.
With more than two decades of experience as a high-profile international arbitration practitioner, Mr. Wegner represents Asian and European clients across a broad spectrum of international arbitration cases, including construction and infrastructure disputes, as well as energy and defense-related arbitrations. He also sits as an arbitrator in ICC and Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) cases.
“Kay-Jannes is an old friend and well-known by our team at Mayer Brown and we have common clients. His experience with top quality arbitration aligns perfectly with our global arbitration practice and areas where we have the strongest client needs. His Northeast Asian and European experience as well as civil law background complement well the growth of our global group and will contribute to joining us up across offices and regions even more. Kay-Jannes and Edern are joining at a particularly exciting time for the Singapore office, which is busy and continues to grow steadily,” said Yu-Jin Tay, Head of Mayer Brown’s International Arbitration practice in Asia.
Commenting on his move, Mr. Wegner said: "I have been impressed by Mayer Brown’s ability to develop and grow its International Arbitration practice in Singapore and globally, whilst maintaining a strong collegial culture of collaboration across the global group. I am inspired by the firm’s strategic focus on building a preeminent international arbitration practice, and look forward to harnessing and contributing to these synergies to take the collective practice even further, for the benefit of our clients and our teams."
"We are delighted to welcome Kay-Jannes and Edern to Mayer Brown. They are civil and common law trained lawyers who will enhance our market-leading arbitration team in the city-state," said Terence Tung, Senior Partner at Mayer Brown.
Mr. Wegner is the latest in a series of recent high profile hires in Asia, with nine new partners joining Mayer Brown during the past year. In Singapore, high-profile energy sector M&A partner, Justin Tan joined the office earlier in 2022. Prior to that, senior construction specialist partner Paul Teo bolstered the firm’s core strength in high value construction and infrastructure disputes.
Brief background information follows:
Kay-Jannes Wegner – A senior arbitration partner, Mr. Wegner counsels clients in their most complex international arbitration disputes in Asia. He has experience sitting as an arbitrator in international disputes and has working experience in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia.
Mr. Wegner is German and English qualified and recognized as a leading professional in industry directories, including Legal 500, Chambers &Partners and Who’s Who Legal who referred to him as the ”anchor of his team” and “one of the best in Korea” in the 2020 edition. Comments from the market include that he is “hands down the best advocate in Korea” (Legal 500, 2022 edition). In 2021, he was included in the list of Korea’s Top 100 Lawyers published by Asia Business Law Journal. In 2017, Mr. Wegner was awarded a commendation by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea for his contributions to developing the international arbitration sector in South Korea. Between 2017 and 2022, he was appointed as the Trustee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
With over 20 years of experience advising clients in international arbitration disputes, Mr. Wegner joins Mayer Brown from Kim & Chang where he was a senior member of the firm's international & cross-border litigation practice and head of its European arbitration desk.
Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Mr. Wegner worked at leading international law firms in London and Singapore. Mr. Wegner is a member of the ITA Board of country reporters as a reporter for Korea and contributes summaries of Korean court decisions and other developments that are published on Kluwer Arbitration.
With more than two decades of experience as a high-profile international arbitration practitioner, Mr. Wegner represents Asian and European clients across a broad spectrum of international arbitration cases, including construction and infrastructure disputes, as well as energy and defense-related arbitrations. He also sits as an arbitrator in ICC and Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB) cases.
“Kay-Jannes is an old friend and well-known by our team at Mayer Brown and we have common clients. His experience with top quality arbitration aligns perfectly with our global arbitration practice and areas where we have the strongest client needs. His Northeast Asian and European experience as well as civil law background complement well the growth of our global group and will contribute to joining us up across offices and regions even more. Kay-Jannes and Edern are joining at a particularly exciting time for the Singapore office, which is busy and continues to grow steadily,” said Yu-Jin Tay, Head of Mayer Brown’s International Arbitration practice in Asia.
Commenting on his move, Mr. Wegner said: "I have been impressed by Mayer Brown’s ability to develop and grow its International Arbitration practice in Singapore and globally, whilst maintaining a strong collegial culture of collaboration across the global group. I am inspired by the firm’s strategic focus on building a preeminent international arbitration practice, and look forward to harnessing and contributing to these synergies to take the collective practice even further, for the benefit of our clients and our teams."
"We are delighted to welcome Kay-Jannes and Edern to Mayer Brown. They are civil and common law trained lawyers who will enhance our market-leading arbitration team in the city-state," said Terence Tung, Senior Partner at Mayer Brown.
Mr. Wegner is the latest in a series of recent high profile hires in Asia, with nine new partners joining Mayer Brown during the past year. In Singapore, high-profile energy sector M&A partner, Justin Tan joined the office earlier in 2022. Prior to that, senior construction specialist partner Paul Teo bolstered the firm’s core strength in high value construction and infrastructure disputes.
Brief background information follows:
Kay-Jannes Wegner – A senior arbitration partner, Mr. Wegner counsels clients in their most complex international arbitration disputes in Asia. He has experience sitting as an arbitrator in international disputes and has working experience in the Middle East and in Southeast Asia.
Mr. Wegner is German and English qualified and recognized as a leading professional in industry directories, including Legal 500, Chambers &Partners and Who’s Who Legal who referred to him as the ”anchor of his team” and “one of the best in Korea” in the 2020 edition. Comments from the market include that he is “hands down the best advocate in Korea” (Legal 500, 2022 edition). In 2021, he was included in the list of Korea’s Top 100 Lawyers published by Asia Business Law Journal. In 2017, Mr. Wegner was awarded a commendation by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Korea for his contributions to developing the international arbitration sector in South Korea. Between 2017 and 2022, he was appointed as the Trustee of the European Chamber of Commerce in Korea.
With over 20 years of experience advising clients in international arbitration disputes, Mr. Wegner joins Mayer Brown from Kim & Chang where he was a senior member of the firm's international & cross-border litigation practice and head of its European arbitration desk.
Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Mr. Wegner worked at leading international law firms in London and Singapore. Mr. Wegner is a member of the ITA Board of country reporters as a reporter for Korea and contributes summaries of Korean court decisions and other developments that are published on Kluwer Arbitration.
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