Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALMBucking Trend, K&L Gates Hires Away Chinese Firm's Hong Kong Office Head
Guiping Lu, who specializes in U.S. law capital markets deals, left Chinese firm Haiwen & Partners three years after making the move from Latham & Watkins.
June 03, 2019 at 02:56 PM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com
K&L Gates has recruited a Hong Kong partner from China's Haiwen & Partners, a hire that runs counter to a current trend in which partners and associates have been jumping from international firms to Chinese ones.
Guiping Lu previously led the Chinese firm's Hong Kong office. Dual-qualified in Hong Kong and the U.S., he advises on debt and equity securities offers in Hong Kong and related transactions. Last year, he advised on Chinese ticketing site Maoyan Entertainment's pre-IPO convertible bond offer in Hong Kong.
Lu joined Haiwen in 2016 from Latham & Watkins, where he had been counsel based in Hong Kong. He first helped the Chinese firm launch an office in Shenzhen, at the time only the firm's third office nearly 25 years into its existence. He went on to open a Hong Kong office for the Beijing-based firm the next year. For Haiwen to have access to Hong Kong law practice, Lu set up his own practice, Lu & Partners, and formed an association with Haiwen in 2017.
Haiwen's Hong Kong office now has five partners including disputes specialist Danny Leung, former counsel with Hogan Lovells. Both Leung and Hong Kong partner Max Hua are Hong Kong-qualified.
Haiwen Beijing partner Wang Pei said the firm's Hong Kong association is not affected by Lu's departure and Haiwen remains committed to developing its practice in Hong Kong. “We will continue to improve our Hong Kong offering,” Wang said in an emailed statement, adding that the firm thanks Lu for his contribution in launching and building the office.
Lu's move back to an international firm comes as Chinese law firms are aggressively recruiting from their global counterparts in Hong Kong and the mainland. Haiwen itself lured away former Ropes & Gray Shanghai partner Gu Jieni, last autumn. Tian Yuan Law Firm hired former Paul Hastings partner Nan Li and a team of a dozen members in April; last year, Fangda Partners recruited partner Colin Law from Shearman & Sterling and partner Fang Jian from Linklaters. Other Chinese firms, including Jingtian & Gongcheng, Han Kun Law Offices and King & Wood Mallesons, have also recruited from international firms.
With offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Haiwen has about 200 lawyers. Known as a conservative partnership, Haiwen hasn't joined most of its peer firms in aggressive expansion during the decade. The firm ranked the 23rd highest-grossing law firm in China in 2017, with $51.8 million in revenue.
K&L Gates said it has more than 30 lawyers in Hong Kong, including 13 partners.
|Related Stories:
Paul Hastings Beijing Partner Leaves for China's Tian Yuan Law Firm
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