Two senior Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) partners have left the firm, including Asia head Bob Charlton, as its merger with Bryan Cave goes live this week.

The firm, now known as Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP), has confirmed that Hong Kong-based Asia chief Bob Charlton left on amicable terms in March, ahead of the transatlantic tie-up which went live this week.

"Having accomplished much for our Asia business and having successfully implemented our 'One Asia' strategy, our head of Asia, Bob Charlton, has decided that now is a good point for him to seek a new challenge elsewhere, and has left the firm," a London spokesperson said.

Charlton – a magic circle veteran who spent more than 30 years at both Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance – joined BLP in 2014 after a spell as Asia-Pacific managing director at DLA Piper.

His successor as Asia head at BCLP has not been decided, as both firms will continue to operate under their legacy brands in Asia pending regulatory approval, according to the spokesperson.

BLP opened its first Asian office in Singapore in 2007 and launched an office in Hong Kong four years later focusing on real estate work. The UK firm had 46 lawyers across offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing and Myanmar in 2016, according to the most recent Asia 50 survey.

Earlier this year, it announced plans to close its Myanmar office in Yangon after only two and a half years. It also operates in alliance with Jakarta-based firm Ivan Almaida Baely & Firmansyah.

In Hong Kong, Bryan Cave is licensed to practise local law, whereas BLP firm operates in association with local disputes boutique Haley Ho & Partners. The US firm first opened in Hong Kong in 1994.

Separately, former BLP private client head and board member Jonathan Kropman has joined Trowers & Hamlins after leaving the firm in late February.

Kropman, who led BLP's private client practice for 13 years, joined Trowers last week. He will now lead the UK firm's private wealth team, which comprises 21 lawyers, including six partners.

Trowers senior partner Jennie Gubbins said the addition of Kropman would "significantly enhance" the firm's private wealth offering. "This is very much a part of our business strategy. We are confident that Jonathan's experience and sector track record will strengthen our UK and international private wealth expertise."

Kropman joined BLP's management board in 2001 after the Berwin Leighton and Paisner & Co merger went live. He advises on all aspects of private wealth including privacy, family holdings structures, family governance, the impact of regulation, information exchange and tax transparency.

Other BLP departures this year include former corporate crime and investigations head Aaron Stephens, who left in February to join King & Spalding's London office. He had spent 10 years at the firm after joining from DLA Piper in 2008.

Bryan Cave and BLP officially combined this Tuesday (3 April). The new firm has more than 1,600 lawyers and annual revenues of roughly $900m.