Partner exits pile up: Edwards Wildman loses leading Hong Kong insurance partner to Simmons & Simmons

Having been plagued with a series of partner departures from London, Edwards Wildman Palmer has now taken a hit to its Hong Kong offering with the departure of insurance partner Martin Lister, who established the office in 2006, to Simmons & Simmons. Simmons, meanwhile, has also expanded its Africa group with the appointment of Paul Bugingo from Dentons, where he served as co-chairman of the firm’s Africa committee.

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Asia round-up: Hogan Lovells turns to A&O for first partner based in Vietnam, while Bakers appoints new MP

Hogan Lovells has put its first partner on the ground in Vietnam, recruiting Allen & Overy’s (A&O) senior associate Jeff Olson as a partner to its corporate practice. Meanwhile, Baker & McKenzie elected partner Milton Cheng to serve as managing partner for its Hong Kong, China, Korea and Vietnam offices where he succeeds Paul Tan who held the position since October 2012.

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Stephenson Harwood scales back on Asia offering with Guangzhou office closure as Hogan Lovells makes another hire

UK firm Stephenson Harwood has closed its office in Guangzhou as the firm reviews its strategy in China, while Hogan Lovells has continued to bolster its Asia offering with another lateral hire, as Paul Hastings’ Tokyo project finance head Joe Kim joining the firm.

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Hong Kong Law Society president forced to go amid row over independence from China

Ambrose Lam, president of the Hong Kong Law Society since May last year, was forced to resign on 19 August after a vote of no confidence was issued in response to his recent support of a Beijing white paper that raised issues over Hong Kong’s judicial independence. Hong Kong lawyers turned out in force on 14 August to an extraordinary general meeting (EGM), where 2,392 lawyers cast a vote of no confidence in the president. Just 1,478 lawyers voted against the motion, despite law firms reporting pressure from clients on the mainland not to pass the motion.

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