This month, arbitration specialist Alex Baykitch started a new job – in Sydney. Had things panned out slightly differently, it might have been Singapore. According to an arbitrator who’s familiar with who’s-talking-to-whom in the region, Baylkitch was being courted by a number of international firms keen to expand their arbitration networks in Asia. He would have had to relocate, though, most likely to Hong Kong or Singapore – the “hot” seats for cases. If true, he wouldn’t have been the first. More international arbitration lawyers are treading the path out to Asia, at the request of their firms, while a fair few other firms have poached talent from the local legal community (see sidebar below).