The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced the appointment of its new general counsel.

Arthur Mitchell, who headed Coudert Brothers' Japan practice group in New York, assumed the post on January 6 and has relocated to Manila to start his new job in the Bank's Philippine headquarters.

Mitchell had been in discussions with the ADB since August last year and succeeds outgoing general counsel Gerald Sumida who quit at the end of December.

Mitchell will head a team of international legal specialists advising on banking matters such as drafting and negotiating loans and investment agreements, preparing and reviewing tender documents, and advising on borrowings in international capital markets. They will also advise on the legal aspects of ADB projects such as poverty reduction, private sector development, governance, and law and policy reform.

While at Coudert, Mitchell specialized in structuring and negotiating equity and debt transactions involving foreign investors in the US. This gave him international exposure in developing countries such as Cambodia, India and China.