Latham's Hong Kong practice in the spotlight amid partner exits
At least two partners from Latham & Watkins' Hong Kong corporate practice are leaving the firm amid a raft of changes to its Greater China team.
December 23, 2014 at 06:26 AM
2 minute read
At least two partners from Latham & Watkins' Hong Kong corporate practice are leaving the firm amid a raft of changes to its Greater China team.
Former Hong Kong office managing partner and ex-Allen & Overy (A&O) Asia chief Michael Liu, alongside another Hong Kong corporate partner Jane Ng, are understood to be exiting for US rival Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft in the city. Both firms declined to comment.
Latham currently has just five partners dedicated to Hong Kong work; which also includes finance partner Howard Lam who joined from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in January, PRC-focused partner Kenneth Chan and Hong Kong corporate head Cathy Cheung, who is also co-chair of the Greater China group.
It is not yet known whether the other Hong Kong partners are joining Liu and Ng, but all – except Lam – were among the seven-partner team who moved to Latham from A&O in 2008, along with Simon Berry, Stanley Chow and William Woo.
Chow exited the firm earlier this year, and Simon Berry switched from a partner to counsel role. This was around the same time that Liu was replaced by disputes partner Simon Powell as head of the Hong Kong office after four years in the position. Woo moved to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe in 2011.
The recent departures follow a number of changes for Latham & Watkins in the North Asian legal hub, including the retirement of Asia chair and former London managing partner David Miles in April after a 19-year stint.
The firm has also ramped up its US and disputes teams, with the hire of Vinson & Elkins former China co-head and Texas-qualified oil and gas partner David Blumental in April, the relocation of New York litigation partner Catherine Palmer to Hong Kong in June, and the recruitment of international arbitration partner Ing Loong Yang from Sidley Austin in March 2013.
The shift comes just nine months after it emerged that rival firm Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy was giving up its local Hong Kong practice licence to focus on cross border corporate and disputes in Asia.
Related: Unstoppable? Latham & Watkins' march on the City shows no sign of abating
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