Orrick's senior partner for China Christopher Stephens is to leave the US firm next month to take up the general counsel role at the Asian Development Bank in the Philippines.

Stephens, who has been with Orrick for seven years, will start his new position at the end of the year and will be based in the bank's headquarters in Manila, where he will oversee a team of 40 lawyers working across 16 countries.

Stephens, who specialises in corporate work within Orrick's energy and infrastructure practice, has spent 16 years in Asia, concentrating on project development and finance, M&A and private equity.

Prior to joining the US firm, he worked for now-defunct New York outfit Coudert Brothers, and was responsible for single-handedly transferring its Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong offices over to Orrick in 2005. Orrick previously had no Asia presence.

Stephens has since continued to play a significant role in the firm's regional growth, working as Asia managing partner until 2010 when Michelle Taylor took over the position.

Other departures from Orrick this year include capital markets partner Allen Shyu, who left the firm's Hong Kong base in June to head up Troutman Sanders' Beijing office, while corporate partner David Cho exited the office in August to join Dechert in Hong Kong.

More recently, M&A partner Thomas Man left to go to Morrison & Foerster in Beijing this September.