Simmons & Simmons is bringing back three senior corporate partners from China to London, making several local associate redundancies as a result.

China corporate head Damon Le Maitre-George and corporate partner Charles Mayo will relocate from Hong Kong to London over the coming months, while Jane Newman will move back to the City from Shanghai.

The upcoming departures led the firm to lay off three corporate associates in Hong Kong last month from its total of 18 across the two China bases.

Hong Kong partner Tom Deegan has been selected to take over from Le Maitre-George as regional corporate head. Le Maitre-George remained managing partner of Simmons' global corporate practice until last year when he was replaced by London-based Mark Curtis (pictured).

All three partners had been in China to help Simmons rebuild in the region following a number of partner walkouts, led by the 2006 departure of a five-partner team, including former China managing partner Huen Wong, to Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson in Hong Kong.

Curtis told Legal Week: "They all went out there to rebuild the corporate practice. The job now done, we decided it was time for them to come back to London. Posting them in China showed key -commitment to the market, but it will be good to have these strong partners back in London."