The role will see Tolé take a senior leadership role in the two Asian joint ventures Allens has established with Linklaters LLP.

Tolé is a energy and resources specialist, with experience in Australia and Asia, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and major projects. 

Allens and Linklaters have established a pan-Asian joint venture with focus on energy and resources development, project finance, infrastructure work and mergers and acquisitions regionally, along with an Indonesia- specific joint venture, Widyawan & Partners, concentrating on what the firm says is the “highly prospective” Indonesian energy and resources market.

The Asian JVs are central to the global alliance announced between the two firms earlier this year.

Tolé said he was excited about the opportunities promised by the Asian JVs and was looking forward to his move to Hong Kong to help spearhead the market push.

“Initial client response to the news of our JVs has been positive,” Tolé said.

It is expected that a team of up to 30 partners and 60 lawyers from the two firms will be active in the alliance JVs, with most based in Asia.

Tolé said the alliance was already delivering early results, including both Allens and Linklaters jointly advising on an acquisition of Australian power assets  with Allens' Melbourne office in conjunction with Linklaters Hong Kong office. There was also an acquisition of oil and gas assets in Thailand and Indonesian JV, as well as an acquisition of PNG oil and gas assets by Allens' Singapore and Port Moresby offices in conjunction with 
Linklaters Singapore and New York offices.

The Allens' Perth office also worked in conjunction with Linklaters Lisbon office on a divestment of Moroccan oil and gas assets.

Allens has recently hired two Perth-based oil and gas partners, Anthony Patten and Tracey Greenaway, along with the Brisbane-based mining partner, Jo Daniels, to help in the expansion of the firm's domestic and Asian energy and resources practices.