Clifford Chance has shaken up the management of its Asia-Pacific practice following the appointment of Geraint Hughes as regional head.

Hughes – currently the firm's Singapore head – will be replaced by Kai-Niklas Schneider as he moves to Hong Kong for his regional role.

China managing partner Stephen Harder will be retiring from Clifford Chance after 14 years in the role and will be replaced by Tim Wang and Terence Foo as co-managing partners.

Anthony Wang and Nicholas Wong have been appointed as co-heads of the Asia-Pacific finance practice, succeeding Hong Kong partner Mark Hyde who has held the role since 2013 but has reached the end of his term.

Nish Shetty has been appointed as head of litigation and dispute resolution effective 1 August, assuming the role from Matthew Newick who will continue to support the practice in Hong Kong until the end of the year when he returns to London.

All the roles are effective from 1 May, apart from Shetty's which is effective from 1 August 2016.

In Singapore DLA Piper has re-shuffled its management with Joe Bauerschmidt replacing John Viverito as country managing partner.

Viverito has been appointed corporate vice chair for the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce, the umbrella organization for the 29 American Chambers of Commerce in Asia-Pacific and will continue at DLA focusing on client development.

Ince & Co has appointed Balbir Bindra as a partner in the firm's Hong Kong office. Bindra previously worked in-house for oil and gas development company CEC North Star Energy. His business focuses on debt capital markets and investment fund transactions.

The hire follows that of US corporate of counsel Yeon Jin who joined the firm from Dechert in November last year.

In Singapore K&L Gates has grown its numbers hiring Nabarro partner Glenn Cheng. Cheng, who joined Nabarro as the firm's first local Singapore partner hire in 2011, focuses his practice on cross-border arbitration in a number of sectors including construction and oil and gas.

K&L has also hired corporate partner Ian Liao who joins the firm's Shanghai office from Jones Day. Lio advises on M&A and venture capital deals. He also represents companies on cross-border technology licencing and intellectual property (IP) enforcement matters.

In Australia K&L has bolstered its offering in Brisbane hiring real estate partner Chris Wille from Holding Redlich. Wille advises major institutional property investors and developers on the various aspects of commercial, retail, and residential property.

Magic circle firm Allen & Overy has hired Norton Rose Fulbright regulatory partner Charlotte Robins in Hong Kong. Robins is dual qualified in Hong Kong and England and Wales.

NRF has suffered other exits from its Asia practice with Singapore asset finance partner Gervais Green and shipping partner Kate Sherrard moving to Clifford Chance.

There have been a number of recent lateral hires in Beijing in recent months with DLA Piper lawyer Samuel Yang moving to PRC firm AnJie Law Firm and Reed Smith hiring Norton Rose Fulbright corporate lawyer Jie Zhang.

Yang, who joins AnJie's technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) practice, has worked in-house at BT and also advises on employment and regulatory matters.

Corporate partner Zhang advises clients on M&A and related corporate matters, with a particular focus on the energy and natural resources sector, covering upstream oil and gas production.

Stephenson Harwood has hired Watson Farley & Williams litigation partner Richard Wilmot in Hong Kong. Wilmot specialises in contracts for the supply, transportation, sale and purchase, and storage of petroleum products, coal, and liquefied natural gas.

Rothschild Trust Group counsel Valerie Wu has joined Pinsent Masons as a Singapore-based tax partner. Wu, who is dual qualified in Singapore and England and Wales, specialises in tax, trust and fund work focusing on private wealth transfers and succession planning.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman has boosted its Asia IP practice hiring Perkins Coie partner Jack Ko in Shanghai. Ko, a former technology developer, focuses on patent due diligence and litigation.

Australian firm Clayton Utz has lost construction and engineering specialist Peter Lamont to Norton Rose Fulbright where he joins as a partner in the firm's Brisbane office.

King & Wood Mallensons has hired Singapore heavyweight Drew & Napier's construction and engineering practice head, Chau Ee Lee, as a partner in the firm's construction and dispute resolution practices.

Lee previously headed Reed Smith's Dubai office until November 2013 when he returned to Singapore. He joined Drew & Napier in February 2014.

Taylor Wessing's Singapore arm RHTLaw Taylor Wessing has hired Erwan Barre as a registered foreign lawyer. Barre was a partner in Paul Hastings' Paris office from 2004 to 2012 before leaving to co-found biotech company Vaximax.

Also in Singapore, Olswang has seen arbitration specialist Jonathan Choo depart for Bird & Bird. Choo's practice covers sectors including telecommunications, finance and aviation.

Herbert Smith Freehills' Indonesia association firm Hiswara Bunjamin & Tandjung has seen three partners move to White & Case's and Linklaters' ally firms in the country.

Equity capital markets partner Kristo Molina and banking and debt capital markets partner Fajar Ramadhan have both moves to White & Case's associated firm in Jakarta Witara Cakra Advocates.

Meanwhile, disputes resolution expert Robert Rhonda has also joined Bird & Bird's Hong Kong office from RPC in the city. Also in Hong Kong PRC firm Zhong Lun has added Simmons & Simmons corporate partner Alan Xu.

While Linklaters' associated firm Widyawan & Partners has hired banking and finance partner Adrian Pranata.

Indian giant Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas has hired Grant Thornton partner Kunal Gupta to join its forensics and investigations practice in New Dehli.

Nabarro has appointed Hogan Lovells corporate partner Matthew Nortcliff to lead its Asia funds practice from the firm's Singapore office.

Proskauer Rose has hired Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy corporate partner Joshua Zimmerman in Hong Kong as Asia capital markets head.

White & Case has continued its Asia build up hiring Herbert Smith Freehills Greater China restructuring and insolvency head Damien Whitehead in Hong Kong. In February the US giant hired Linklaters' private equity partner Chris Kelly following the addition of his colleague Peggy Wang last year.

Singapore corporate and securities partner Rod Brown has joined Mayer Brown JSM from Latham & Watkins. Elsewhere in the city-state Withers has hired hospitality partner Robert Williams from Ryan Lawyers.

King & Wood Mallesons energy partner duo Dirk Walker and Dina Yin have joined Jones Day's Beijing office. The pair originally joined KWM following the collapse of former firm Dewey & LeBeouf in 2012.

Chinese firm AnJie Law Firm has hired two IP partners in Beijing. Liu Liangyong has joined from An Tian Zhang & Partners and Wang Ying from Novozymes China.

Elite Singapore firm Drew & Napier has seen the departure of Lam Shiao Ning to Oon & Bazul which she has joined has head of M&A and corporate finance.

BLP aviation partners Justin Sun and David Brotherton have left the firm for Holman Fenwick Willan in Singapore.

Off-shore firm Walkers has seen the departure of finance partner Paul Sephton to rival Harneys' Hong Kong office.

Howse Williams Bowers has hired Goodwin Procter corporate partner Christopher Yu in Hong Kong. Last September Goodwin Procter's corporate duo Gloria Guolai Liu and Sue Yang left the firm's Hong Kong office for DLA Piper.

The last remaining partner at Dentons Singapore office Matthew Cox has gone to Simmons & Simmons after the firm announced the closure of its office in the city last year as part of its integration with China's Dacheng. Cox specialises in trade and finance and formerly headed the Singapore office.

Hogan Lovells' Tokyo US IP head Philippe Riesen has joined Wisconsin firm Foley & Lardner's Tokyo office.

However, the transatlantic firm has also added to its headcount in Japan hiring Morgan Lewis & Bockius' Tokyo office head Lisa Yano. Yano is a US qualified lawyer and fluent Japanese speaker.

Baker Botts has re-shuffled its Asia management with the appointment of oil and gas specialist Michael Arruda as regional partner in charge. Arrunda joined from Jones Day in September last year.