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Big Four accounting firm EY has hired former Baker McKenzie local principal James Choo as a tax partner in Singapore.

Choo joins the auditor's tax and transactions services team, specialising in tax issues, especially international tax aspects of cross-border transactions. Previously, he practised for about a decade at Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, the global firm's Singapore member firm, most recently as local principal – a counsel-level title.

Choo is not joining EY's affiliated law firm in Singapore, Atlas Asia Law Corp., which was launched in July of last year with a four-lawyer team from Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, led by former senior partner Evelyn Ang. Last month, Atlas hired two more senior lawyers from Dentons Rodyk as directors. Its Big Four rival PricewaterhouseCoopers has also been aggressively recruiting from law firms in the city-state, hiring three former lawyers of leading Singaporean firm WongPartnership, including its deputy chair Rachel Eng, for its own affiliated law firm since last year.

Lateral movement between the Big Four and Big Law in the Asia-Pacific has not gone all in one direction. In March, Eversheds Sutherland hired a former senior associate of PwC's Hong Kong affiliate law firm as a consultant and leader of its technology practice. And in Australia, PwC and EY have both lost lawyers, including partners, to domestic firms like HWL EbsworthGadensMills Oakley and HopgoodGanim Lawyers in the past 12 months.

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