Gibson Dunn & Crutcher is to open an office in Hong Kong this year as the top 20 US law firm moves to extend its compliance and white collar crime practice into Asia.

The new office will be led by Kelly Austin, who joins the firm as a partner from General Electric International in Hong Kong, where she has been for the last eight years. She specialises in Asia-wide Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and compliance matters.

Austin will be joined by Gibson Dunn corporate partner Joseph Barbeau, who is relocating from the firm's Palo Alto office, and associate Kate Yin, who is relocating from its Los Angeles office.

The practice, which launched today (2 August), will specialise in corporate transactions and corporate compliance, regulation and investigations.

Ken Doran, chair and managing partner of Gibson Dunn, said: "Gibson Dunn has been expanding our global platform where our clients need us, recently in Dubai in 2007, Singapore in 2008 and Sao Paulo in 2009. We have been looking for the right opportunity in Hong Kong for some time, and the opportunity to bring Kelly on board was key to our decision."

The Hong Kong venture is the second presence in the Asia region for the US firm alongside its Singapore arm. Gibson Dunn has a total of 17 offices, including practices in London, Munich, Brussels and Paris.

Joseph Warin, Washington DC partner and co-chair of the white collar defence and investigation group, said. "Many of the US-based FCPA disclosure and enforcement actions in the last two years have had an Asia component, and combining on-the-ground expertise in Asia with extensive support from the US offices positions us to be particularly effective for clients."

The firm generated revenues of $995m (£663m) in its 2009 financial year, an annual rise of 4%, making it the 14th largest practice in revenue terms in the US.