DLA Piper has further bolstered its Asia Pacific offering with the hire of a four-lawyer IP team from Jones Day in Beijing, led by the US firm’s former head of IP in China, Horace Lam.
Lam will join DLA’s Beijing office in October along with counsel Stacy Yuan and associates Alicia Ma and Helen Ding, together with the additional hire of IP lawyer Miya Wen from Rouse.
Prior to joining Jones Day in May 2011, Lam was the Beijing managing partner of Hogan Lovells and head of the firm’s IP practice. He focuses on IP disputes, protection strategies and licensing.
DLA Piper’s international group head for IPT Stephane Lemarchand said: ‘The growth of our IP group internationally, and in China in particular, is a key priority for DLA Piper. We want to be able to deliver the high value work to our clients in the region and globally, and I believe that the appointment of Horace Lam and his team will enable us to make another significant step toward growing the group and providing leading advice to our clients.’
The hires follow the arrival in Beijing of a four-lawyer King & Wood Mallesons energy team, led by former head of energy in China Carolyn Dong.
This month DLA Piper also considerably strengthened its corporate practice in Australia with the appointment of two partners from leading local firms, veteran Bryan Pointon from Gilbert + Tobin and David Ryan from Ashurst Australia.
Beijing remains a target for US and UK firms alike, with Kirkland & Ellis this month announcing it is opening in Beijing with a focus on complex M&A and private equity, international capital markets and fund formation transactions, and government enforcement and investigations.
Both Eversheds and Stephenson Harwood announced their expansion into Beijing in May this year. Other firms to make steps into the capital are Clyde & Co, which was awarded a licence to practise also in May this year, marking its eighth office in Asia, and Ashurst, which has applied for a Beijing licence while announcing in July its office opening in Seoul.
Francesca.fanshawe@legalease.co.uk
