Dechert and Linklaters have strengthened their Chinese corporate practices with the hire of partners from Simmons & Simmons and Baker & McKenzie respectively.

US outfit Dechert has recruited partner Lewis Ho to join its corporate and securities practice in Hong Kong, and to head up the firm's life sciences practice in Asia.

Ho, who was previously based in Simmons' Beijing office, specialises in life sciences, technology, media and telecommunications sectors, with a focus on intellectual property, litigation, transactions and private equity work.

"I was attracted to Dechert because they are a US firm, and they are very strong on the life sciences front in the US and Europe," said Ho, who was based in Beijing for one year and Shanghai for four and a half years.

"The plan is to grow this practice in Asia. At the moment there are a lot of pharmaceutical companies in China looking to build their market presence.

"We will need to do some recruiting on the associate and partner level, but at the moment we are still in the very early stages."

Linklaters, meanwhile, has recruited corporate partner Pui Hong Chik from Baker & McKenzie.

Chik, who will be based in Linklaters' Beijing office, has substantial experience of advising on initial public offerings and secondary offerings, as well as Hong Kong compliance work.

He is among a number of new hires for the magic circle firm's Beijing practice this year, while Peter Goes, a former senior corporate partner in Linklaters' Amsterdam office, relocated to the Chinese capital in April.