Hong Kong is among Asia's more developed legal markets, of key importance to firms mostly because of its proximity to China. There was no clear pattern of activity during 2014, with some firms ramping up and others seeing partner losses, and some new entrants at the same time as others retreated. Politically, the year was troublesome for the North Asian legal hub, with pro-democracy activists taking to the streets calling for more say in the 2017 chief executive elections.

Probably the biggest law firm news was in January – that being Slaughter & May's first ever lateral hire in history. Joining the firm from Morrison & Foerster in the city; John Moore was appointed amid a recognition by the magic circle firm that it needed US law capability for Hong Kong IPOs.

Also making changes to its Hong Kong team this year was King & Wood Mallesons (KWM), in preparation for running its office independently of the China and Australian partnerships and ending top-ups to partner pay. As well as aligning the way its pays salaries and bonuses to lawyers, the firm also appointed new managers for the office – with Zhang Yi and Hayden Flinn to jointly lead the base from next year as global managing partner Stuart Fuller focuses on global expansion. Earlier in the year two high profile corporate partners from the Hong Kong office left to set up their own boutique.

Ashurst meanwhile significantly boosted the number of lawyers in its Hong Kong team with a view to filling gaps in its global corporate finance group. It took one partner from White & Case, three lawyers from O'Melveny & Myers and a Linkaters partner from London, as well as relocating two finance lawyers.

Akin Gump, traditionally a smaller firm in Asia, also ramped up in Hong Kong this year when it took a number of Bingham McCutchen partners for the practice around September – the same time it hired the majority of the firm's London and Frankfurt teams.

Evidently the year saw a whole host British and US firms hire in the city, albeit perhaps not on the same scale as those above. Latham & Watkins in Hong Kong hired a senior partner who joined from energy specialist firm Vinson & Elkins in April, David Blumental, while Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) took DLA Piper's former Asia managing partner Bob Charlton to head its Asia practice and be managing partner in Hong Kong. Around the same time, Kirkland & Ellis launched a restructuring practice with two partners from Hogan Lovells. The US firm also promoted two lawyers to partner in its funds practice. 

There was of course some scaling back and partner losses. Latham saw the departure of its Asia chair David Miles, and also Stanley Chow, one of the seven-partner team that joined from Allen & Overy in 2008. O'Melveny also lost three lawyers in Hong Kong amid a string of exits across the region however, the firm did recruit disputes heavyweight Denis Brock from KWM. 

Senior Allen & Overy (A&O) US corporate partner Mark Roppel – who played a role on Hong Kong deals and was formerly based in the city – also left the firm in New York to join DLA Piper, as another Hong Kong partner Alan Ewins relocated to London. Earlier in the year the firm had relocated Jim Wickenden to Hong Kong on a troubleshooting mission for the US practice, following the departure of one of its most senior US partners in Asia, James Grandolfo in 2013. 

Other firms to lose lawyers from their Hong Kong or China practices during the period included Dechert and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the latter seeing three senior exits for Fangda, Hogan Lovells and Latham. The practice then came under the spotlight as partners speculated that sweetened partner pay packages were facing review. 

As for new entrants, the most notable was Osborne Clarke, which launched an office with the hire of two Bird & Bird partners in August. Taylor Wessing continues to voice its interest in the city three years after first mooting the idea, but is yet to announce any venture. 

Two US firms also launched Hong Kong practices. Debevoise & Plimpton said in September it was to practice local law some 20 years after opening, subsequently hiring HSF Asia managing partner Mark Johnson, and litigation specialist Kobre & Kim revealed in October it had hired Randall Arhur from local outfit Gall to head up its own Hong Kong disputes team. By contrast, Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy decided in March to relinquish its local practicing licence in favour of focusing on its international law capabilities and Australian firm Clayton Utz pulled out of the region to focus on its domestic practice. 

The political situation of course had an impact on Hong Kong's lawyers, temporarily crippling the central business district and adding to the ongoing debate which questions Hong Kong's ability to hold its status as a legal hub for the region. Lawyers also personally came under pressure amid the ongoing political turmoil, with Law Society President Ambrose Lam ousted from his position for appearing too pro-Beijing and Hong Kong's Justice Secretary Rimsky Yuen among those appointed to assist with negotiations between the protesters and the government. Next year will be an interesting period for Hong Kong legal brains as the debate over the interpretation of the city's Basic Law lingers.