Advocate Marcus Leese, who moved to Hong Kong in 2010 to establish the Ogier Channel Islands' practice in Asia, has come home to Guernsey, after having been the first such lawyer to operate in Asia.

Advocate Marcus Leese, who moved to Hong Kong in 2010 to establish the Ogier Channel Islands' practice in Asia, has come home to Guernsey, after having been the first such lawyer to operate in Asia, his firm says.

In his changed role, Leese will divide his time between Guernsey and Hong Kong as Asia will remain a key focus for him and for the firm, Ogier said in a statement. The past four years have seen Leese regularly visit Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Indonesia and other financial centres.

His move to Asia has been part of a trend by offshore specialists in the Channel Islands to increase flows of business from the fast-growing region, in part to reduce reliance on revenue from traditional sources such as the UK.

In 2012, Leese was joined in Hong Kong by Richard Bennett, an associate lawyer who relocated from the Guernsey office. Bennett will continue to work with Leese in promoting Guernsey and will also be available to assist Guernsey Finance – the promotional agency for the island’s financial sector - in Asia.

“During my time in Hong Kong I have seen a number of Guernsey firms setting up in Asia and the level of understanding of what the island can offer has grown considerably. In particular, I have seen a material level of enquiries on trust and private client matters and a genuine interest in establishing Guernsey trusts and foundations,” Leese said.

On Leese’s return Ogier Guernsey will have six partners, one consultant and 24 other lawyers.