The Transfer Window: Asia is a regular round-up of recent legal moves in Asia Pacific. Please send all announcements to: [email protected]

Squire Patton Boggs has announced its first new partner since the merger of Squire Sanders and Patton Boggs, which went live on June 1, with the appointment Li Hua in Beijing from French firm Gide Loyrette Nouel.

Hua, who is a corporate and competition lawyer, whose experience includes working at the former Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (MOFTEC) in Beijing, and as vice-director of foreign trade at the former State Commission for Economy and Trade.

She joined GLN's Beijing office in 1999, focusing on foreign investment law, commercial law, anti-monopoly law and labour law. She has since worked alongside Gide's Brussels office and gained additional experience in WTO-related legal issues and anti-dumping procedures.

Li Hua's appointment follows that of China outbound corporate partner Benjamin Kroymann, who joined legacy Squire Sanders in Shanghai at the end of last year with a team of lawyers from Dentons.

Also in China, Morrison & Foerster has recruited corporate lawyer Maria Wang from Allen & Overy, to join its Shanghai office as a partner.

Wang, who was previously a counsel with A&O, specialises in real estate, managing a mix of equity and debt deals for major banks, funds and developers, while also overseeing complex M&A and project development.

Prior to A&O she practiced as a solicitor at Chambers & Company in Melbourne. She joins a team of five lawyers in Shanghai in addition to one other partner, Gregory Sin Oon Tan.

Meanwhile, the former Asia managing partner at Ashurst Geoffrey Green has also taken a role in China, advising Ashurst's relationship firm Guantao on management, strategic planning and business development.

Green, who is based in London after retiring from Ashurst in May last year, will advise Guantao on a part time basis as the PRC outfit puts together its strategy for the coming 10 years.

Also this month, Hill Dickinson has bolstered its shipping practice in Asia with two appointments in Hong Kong and Singapore as the firm looks to ramp up its Asia presence.

In Singapore, Clyde & Co partner Chris Edwards has been hired to join the firm in June, while in Hong Kong Kennedy's partner Anthony Woo is joining in September. Hill Dickinson's Hong Kong office currently operates in association with Laracy & Co, providing commercial litigation, collision, salvage and marine casualty advice.

US outfit Latham & Watkins has meanwhile relocated New York litigation partner Catherine Palmer to the firm's Hong Kong office as it continues to ramp up its disputes team.

Palmer represents multinationals and financial institutions involved in criminal or regulatory investigations throughout the world, with an emphasis on global corruption, bribery and sanctions investigations and antitrust cartel investigations.

Prior to joining Latham, she served in the US Department of Justice, and over the years has worked closely with government and law enforcement officials in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand to direct and coordinate complex international investigations.

Her appointment follows the promotion of litigation partner Simon Powell to the role of Hong Kong office head.

On the transactional side, Victor Pang, a cross border finance and M&A lawyer from Reed Smith, has joined Chinese outfit Zhong Lun.

Based in Beijing with Reed Smith, Pang's practice focused on advising Chinese SOEs and corporates on overseas listings and on cross-border investments, as well as acting for banks and multinationals in China.

He has joined Zhong Lun in Hong Kong where it is associated with its associated firm BPYA and currently counts 40 staff.

Down in Australia special counsel and competition lawyer at Corrs Chambers Westgarth Rowan McMonnies, has moved to Baker & McKenzie as a partner.

He joins the US firm in Sydney with 15 years of experience, which includes senior positions at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission where he was a director in the mergers branch and a principal lawyer advising the Enforcement and Compliance Division.

He specialises in merger clearance, ACCC investigations and enforcement, and competition law advisory work.

His appointment is Bakers' fifth lateral partner appointment in the last year in addition to projects partner Martin Irwin Ellen Thomas in Tax; Sean Selleck in employment and Amanda Turnill in life sciences.

King & Wood Mallesons has likewise added to its superannuation practice with the hire of two new partners, finance partner Ruth Stringer and funds specialist Nathan Hodge.

Stringer joins from Lander & Rogers, having previously spent five years at Ashurst and 11 years at Minter Ellison where she established its superannuation practice and was a founding member of the firm's funds management practice.

Hodge is also a superannuation lawyer, joining KWM from Minter Ellison where he developed a strong practice acting for superannuation trustees and service providers. He has a track record of working across strategic regulatory advice, product innovation, investments and structuring.

Other hires for KWM in 2014 include real estate and infrastructure partner Chris Mitchell from Ashurst, energy and resources partner Shaun McRobert from Norton Rose and tax partner Michel Perez from Allens.

However, the firm has also lost a partner this month with Jennifer Schlosser's move to Ashurst.

Schlosser, who is a finance partner specialising in the securitisation and structured debt capital markets, is joining Ashurst – formerly Blake Dawson – from 1st July in Sydney.

DLA Piper in Sydney has also added intellectual property and technology partner Peter Jones form Gilbert + Tobin.

His practice spans Australia and Asia, with a focus on advising major financial institutions, technology companies, public sector organisations and telecoms companies on major system integration projects; sourcing arrangements; shared services initiatives; network-related projects and services engagements; service redesign programmes; and information technology transactions.

Two US firms have meanwhile bolstered their China teams in America.

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (WilmerHale) has recruited Hogan Lovells litigation partner Song Zhu in its Palo Alto office to advise companies in China on IP issues, while Foley & Lardner has brought on Holland + Knight China head Tad Ferris as a partner and co-chair of its Greater China regulatory practice, to be based in the Washington DC.