Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson's last remaining partner in Asia is set to leave the firm next week for K&L Gates in Hong Kong.

Corporate partner Carolyn Sng is the firm's last partner based in Asia following the announcement of its retreat from the region at the beginning of the year.

Legal Week understands that Sng is set to join her new firm on Monday (15 June). The firm is planning to close its Asia operations by 30 June.

David Tang, K&L Gates' managing partner in Asia, said: "Carolyn is a valuable addition to our corporate practice and her experience fits very nicely with our extended capabilities in the region. The Asia capital markets have picked up in the past few months and Carolyn's arrival will certainly help in handling that increased deal flow."

Her departure follows that of Fried Frank's Asia managing partner, Doug Freeman, who left in April to join Paul Hastings' Hong Kong office alongside corporate partner Victor Chen.

In the same month Norton Rose Fulbright hired a team of disputes lawyers from Fried Frank in Hong Kong consisting of partner Alfred Wu, consultant Philip Nunn and associates Muriel Cheng, Anita Fong and Kevin Hong. Nunn joined the firm as a senior consultant.

Fried Frank announced in January that it was shutting its Shanghai and Hong Kong bases but would be keeping a service centre in Hong Kong and its China practice licence. The closures will leave the US firm without an Asia base.

In total 33 lawyers and staff – 32 of whom are based in Hong Kong – have been affected by the closures.

News of the closures came after Legal Week reported in 2013 that Fried Frank was significantly downsizing in the region, roughly halving its previous 12,000 sq ft of office space in Hong Kong amid several departures.