Allen & Overy (A&O) partner Kayal Sachi and counsel Ian Roebuck have exited the firm to join Mayer Brown JSM in Singapore as partners.

The new hires will focus on acquisition and leveraged finance, corporate lending and restructuring in South East Asia and India.

Sachi was a partner at A&O for over 14 years, having joined from Clifford Chance in 2003. Sachi became a partner in 1997 at Clifford Chance, and worked in both Singapore and London for over 15 years.

Roebuck joined Allen & Overy as a trainee in 2001, and has been made a partner through this move.

Mayer Brown has invested in its Asia offering in recent months, hiring former Tokyo managing partner Rupert Burrows from Ashurst to launch its first office in Japan.

In Singapore, its most recent joiners include Angelia Chia and Ben Sandstad in Singapore, who were both global heads of legal at Standard Chartered Bank in the region.