Slaughter and May has made its fourth partner appointment in Hong Kong this year, as the firm continues to invest in its Greater China business.

The promotion of M&A lawyer Charlton Tse, which will take effect 1 August, follows those of corporate associates Clara Choi and Natalie Yeung in May.

The magic circle firm, which is traditionally more conservative than its peers, has now added three new corporate partners in the city by way of promotion from its associate ranks. 

It also made its first ever lateral hire in the city this year with the recruitment of Morrison & Foerster capital markets partner John Moore – a move aimed at adding US capability to its Asian capital markets practice.

Of Slaughters' four offices globally, two are in Greater China, with one in Hong Kong and the other in the Chinese capital Beijing.

Senior Hong Kong partner Peter Brien said: "We definitely want to grow the business in Hong Kong and China, and the promotions are evidence of that.

"We want to build up our client base and do more work, in M&A, capital markets, Chinese outbound deals and China inbound.

"We also want to do more in South East Asia but in connection with our best friends in the region – we have no plans to open new offices anywhere."

Following the promotion of Tse, Slaughters will have a total of 13 partners in Hong Kong and approximately 45 other legal staff across the region, with core practices including corporate and regulatory.

Earlier this year, Slaughters also announced its largest promotion round in London since the downturn, with the appointment of seven new partners across corporate, tax, disputes, competition, finance and restructuring.

Three of the new partners were female, ensuring that women now account for 20% (24 partners) of the total London partnership. In Greater China, four out of 13 partners (31%) are also female.