Gibson Dunn & Crutcher has hired a heavyweight arbitration partner from Freshfields in Singapore as co-chair of its international arbitration practice.
Nicholas Lingard has joined after 15 years at Freshfields, where he led the international arbitration group in Asia and was managing partner of the Singapore office. He brings a high-profile practice representing sovereign states and investors in politically sensitive treaty arbitrations and also focuses on commercial and construction disputes.
“Expanding our arbitration and disputes offering in Asia is a strategic priority for us, and there is no one better placed to anchor it than Nick,” Rahim Moloo, co-chair of Gibson Dunn’s international arbitration practice group, said in a statement. “He is one of the best arbitration lawyers I know, and his practice aligns with our client base and industry strengths. He will immediately enhance our ability to represent clients in complex cross-border disputes.”
Lingard's hire follows the firm's former Asia head of arbitration, Paul Tan, joining One Essex Court in late 2024, when it trimmed its Singapore partnership by half in a move that left it with five partners in the city.
Following his arrival, Gibson Dunn will have nine partners in Singapore, including private equity and M&A duo Nigel Gleeson and Jon Bowden, both of whom have joined from Freshfields within the past year.
Gibson Dunn's chair and managing partner, Barbara Becker, said Lingard's hire was in line with the firm's strategy to "build destination practices in everything we do, all connected across our platform to serve our global clients seamlessly".
She added: "In Singapore, Nick deepens what we offer clients in private equity, M&A, finance, financial regulation and now international arbitration. We plan to keep investing in the region with intention."
Lingard's hire comes as Gibson Dunn focuses on growing its broader disputes offering, which accounted for more than $2bn of its record $4.2bn in gross revenue in 2025 and, according to research by The Lawyer, is the fastest-growing disputes practice among the world’s 10 leading firms.
Alongside marquee litigation hires, mostly in the US, the firm has been adding top arbitration talent. Last year it recruited barrister Christopher Harris KC from London set 3 Verulam Buildings as co-chair of its international arbitration and judgment and arbitral award enforcement practices, in a move that saw it debut in Zurich.
The firm also hired Patrick Pearsall, former US State Department chief of investment arbitration, in Washington DC from legacy Allen & Overy.
Meanwhile, Freshfields, which has been aggressively targeting US growth in recent years, has seen a spate of partner departures in Asia over the past few months.
Senior corporate dealmakers Grace Huang and Edward Freeman left for Latham & Watkins in Hong Kong, while M&A duo Noah Carr and Gordon Palmquist moved to White & Case in Tokyo, though this was offset by the hire of Tokyo M&A partner Gregory Salathé earlier this month from Morrison Foerster.
In July, it emerged that Freshfields had axed equity partners in the UK, France and Germany and downgraded others' equity shares as part of the drive to improve its US growth prospects.
Commenting on Lingard's departure, a Freshfields spokesperson said: "We wish Nick all the best”.
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