Walkers has promoted several of its Hong Kong staff to address the growing demand for offshore legal services in the Asian region.

Arwel Lewis and Thomas Granger have been promoted to partners in the Investment Funds Group, with effect from 1 July 2010. Linklaters-trained Lewis joined the firm in 2007 and specialises in corporate work, private equity and investment funds. Granger stepped in from Minster Ellison in 2005 and has focused on the same sector.

Also promoted from associates to counsel are Ashley Davies and Fraser Hern. Davies became part of Walkers' finance and corporate group in 2008, with a focus on Cayman Islands and BVI law, while Hern joined the company in 2009 to focus on corporate and financial restructuring, as well as contentious and non-contentious insolvency. Davies used to be part of Corrs Chambers Westgarth, while Hern had worked for Allen and Overy.

"As we continue to see an increasingly complex flow of work into our major practice areas across our global network of offices it is imperative that we have the right professionals in place," Guy Locke, managing partner of Walkers Hong Kong and head of Asia, said in a release.

Walkers Group has offices in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Delaware, Dubai, Dublin, and Hong Kong.