Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan is set to open in Hong Kong with the hire of Kim & Chang senior disputes lawyer John Rhie.

Rhie, who specialises in international commercial and investment treaty arbitration, is an English-qualified solicitor-advocate, and will relocate from Seoul to Hong Kong where he will chair Quinn's Asia international arbitration practice.

Rhie, who will be a partner at Quinn, represents clients in the construction, ship building and investment banking sectors on issues ranging from contractual disputes to obtaining or defending urgent injunction applications.

He will be joined by Quinn New York partner Carey Ramos, who will relocate to Hong Kong to head the office, and will advise the firm's Asian clients with respect to litigation in the US and EU.

The planned office launch, which comes only days after Quinn announced plans to open in Sydney, is subject to Quinn obtaining regulatory approval from the relevant authorities.

Managing partner John Quinn said: "We have been planning the opening of another office in Asia for some time, and of course we would like this to be in Hong Kong, when we get the approvals.

"John's joining us is the culmination of an investigation and sifting of candidates that we have conducted for several years. He was our number one choice. He is a perfect fit for our international arbitration platform and our Asia strategy in particular. Carey brings a wealth of experience in representing Asian companies in complex business disputes. Together, John and Carey present a formidable team to expand our practice in Asia."

Rhie commented: "I had a wonderful time at Kim & Chang and it is difficult to part with my colleagues and friends there. However, it was impossible not to accept this new and exciting challenge to help build the Asia arbitration practice with Carey for the leading litigation firm in the world."

Quinn currently has 600 lawyers based across the US, Europe and Asia, and is among the most profitable firms in the world. According to The American Lawyer, profits per partner for the US firm were $4.44m (£2.89m) in 2012, while the number of equity partners rose 9% over the same period.

The firm has long been targeting a launch in either Hong Kong or Singapore and is understood to have spoken to a number of top arbitrators in the region.

The Los Angeles-headquartered firm confirmed a Sydney launch earlier this month with the hire of Herbert Smith Freehills duo Michael Mills and Michelle Fox.

The launches will take Quinn's Asia presence to three offices alongside an existing base in Tokyo, which is headed by IP disputes partner Ryan Goldstein. The Sydney office is due to open in June.