Broadfield hires RPC's Hong Kong disputes team leader Jonathan Crompton to rebuild its Asia disputes and investigations practice after two departures to White & Case
Broadfield, the international law firm, hired Jonathan Crompton from RPC as a partner and head of its dispute resolution and investigations practice in Asia, with the appointment reported on 14 September 2026. Crompton had led RPC's Hong Kong disputes team. The hire addresses a gap in Broadfield's Asia practice created when two senior disputes practitioners, Fergus Saurin and Grace Zhu, departed to White & Case in June 2026. Without a dedicated partner, the practice's leadership would have been absent in the Hong Kong market. Separately, on 16 September 2026, Broadfield also launched a Paris office, its first in continental Europe, as the firm continues to build out its international footprint. Broadfield is backed by an affiliate of Alvarez & Marsal Inc. The moves reflect intensifying competition for disputes talent in Asia-Pacific, particularly in Hong Kong, where international arbitration and financial investigations work has remained active despite a broader slowdown in transactional markets.
Why this matters
Broadfield's rapid rebuilding of its Hong Kong disputes practice, within months of losing two partners to White & Case, signals that the firm views Asia-Pacific disputes as a strategic priority despite the talent competition. For City students, the pattern of lateral hiring in disputes across Asian offices of international firms reflects sustained demand for cross-border arbitration and investigations work at a time when transactional volumes are depressed. The simultaneous Paris launch suggests Broadfield is executing a deliberate multi-geography growth strategy, likely to position for EU-nexus work as well as Asian mandates.
On the Ground
International disputes and investigations practices are the primary beneficiaries of this type of market movement. Clients with Hong Kong-seated arbitrations or regulatory investigations in the Asia-Pacific region will be closely watching whether Crompton's practice can maintain continuity. For firms losing partners laterally, the legal work includes reviewing restrictive covenants, client notification protocols, and file transfer obligations. A trainee supporting an international disputes team would assist with disclosure review, chronology preparation, cross-border legal opinion coordination, and local counsel instruction letters across relevant jurisdictions.
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