Leese will continue to split his time between the two locations, as Asia remains a key development for Ogier, the firm said, in announcing his return to Guernsey, where he joined Ogier in 1999, and was made a partner in 2005.
Richard Bennet, an associate lawyer who relocated to Hong Kong from Ogier's Guernsey office in 2012, will continue to work with Leese in promoting Guernsey and Guernsey Finance in Asia.
Leese will be remembered as having been "the first Guernsey advocate to operate in the Asian time zone", according to Ogier, which said his move to Hong Kong and the setting up of the Ogier office there had been "driven by client demand and rapid economic growth in the region".
While in Hong Kong Leese had been a regular visitor of such other key Asian financial centres as Shanghai, Beijing and Singapore, and will continue to do so, Ogier said, to raise awareness of Guernsey’s, and Ogier's, services and products.
While in Hong Kong, Leese worked closely with Guernsey Finance, the promotional arm of Guernsey's financial services industry, by accompanying its representatives on business development visits and attending conferences as both a delegate and a speaker, and this will continue.
Upon Leese's return, Ogier Guernsey will have six partners, one consultant and 24 other lawyers.
