Reynolds Porter Chamberlain (RPC) will formally open in Hong Kong in August, with an ex-Clyde & Co partner joining the four-partner team it hired from the firm in April.

Corporate partner Jason Carmichael joins RPC from Hong Kong firm CdB and JC & Co, which he opened along with two other ex-Clydes partners in January 2010.

His hire takes RPC's Hong Kong launch to five partners, 16 associates and 19 support staff, with all lawyers and staff joining from either Clydes or CdB.

The other partners in the office are former Clydes Hong Kong senior partner David Smyth, marine insurance partner Andrew Horton, insurance partner Antony Sassi and disputes partner Gary Yin.

The office will focus on insurance, litigation and corporate work and marks RPC's second international base after a launch in Singapore in November last year.

RPC managing partner Jonathan Watmough (pictured) said: "It's been a year of growth for us. Establishing a presence in Hong Kong marks the next step in the development of our practice in Asia, and gives us an excellent platform for further growth in the region.

"The partners and their teams joining us have all been practising in Hong Kong and across Asia for many years, and have an established client base and an excellent local reputation. This means we'll be able to hit the ground running."

All four partners who quit Clydes in April were legacy Barlow Lyde & Gilbert lawyers, with the remaining three legacy local partners leaving about the same time to join Bird & Bird and Simmons & Simmons in Hong Kong. The departures left Clydes with eight partners in Hong Kong.