City firm Lewis Silkin has this morning (30 April) announced the opening of an office in Hong Kong in a bid to ‘support the rapidly expanding employment and global mobility needs’ of its clients in the Asia-Pacific region.
Having received approval by the Law Society of Hong Kong as a registered foreign law firm, the new office will be the firm’s fourth alongside London, Oxford and Cardiff.
Based within the Universal Trade Centre, located in Hong Kong’s Central District, the team is led by immigration and global mobility partner Antonia Grant and includes senior associate Scott Anderson and trainee Li Xiang, as well as additional professional and support staff.
Lewis Silkin managing partner Ian Jeffery said: ‘The opening of our new office in Hong Kong is a major milestone for our firm, and a natural next step in our evolution. Given that many of our clients have significant business interests in the region, establishing a team there ensures that we are best positioned to support their ever-changing employment and global mobility needs across the region.’
The firm’s co-head of employment James Davies added: ‘Building from a position of strength as one of the UK’s leading employment law firms, our new Hong Kong office represents a logical extension of our already market-leading offer. Many international organisations find the landscape for employment law across Asia-Pacific particularly challenging and complex. Working with Ius Laboris and its member firms across the region, clients now have access to an even more comprehensive and integrated network of employment law expertise spanning the globe.’
The rush of activity to Asia of late includes Nabarro’s hire of senior disputes partner Steven Lim, the founder and managing director of Clyde & Co Clasis, to head its Singapore office, while Hogan Lovells this week announced it will expand its Tokyo corporate practice with the recruit of Wataru Kamoto from local boutique Hibiya-Nakata.
sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk