Eversheds has hired a team of four employment lawyers from Salans in Shanghai, as the firm takes steps to increase its presence in China.

The team is led by of counsel Iris Duchetsmann, who is joining Eversheds as a partner, along with three associates – Cynthia Zheng, Xu Weihuan and Li Lixia.

The group will be the first dedicated employment lawyers for Eversheds in the country, boosting its ability to advise across practice areas.

Duchetsmann, who specialises in labour law, was previously the head of Salans' China labour law team and has experience on cross-border employment and international HR management in both Germany and China. She also advises clients across a range of sectors on matters such as residency, tax and social security.

Jean-Marc Deschandol, senior office partner in Eversheds Shanghai commented: "Iris's experience will greatly complement our current accomplished employment offering and build upon and diversify our already strong client base."

Eversheds currently has three offices in Asia, located in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore. The firm is also expected to open an office in Beijing in the near future after receiving approval from the Chinese authorities to launch last September.