Hogan Lovells announced today that Laurence Davidson will be joining the firm as a partner in the Corporate practice and will be based in the Hong Kong office. Laurence will be joining from Chinese investment conglomerate, HNA Group, where he handled a number of major transactions in the aviation, logistics and real estate sectors in his role as senior counsel. Prior to this, he worked at Hogan Lovells for fifteen years, based in London and Hong Kong. His first day back with Hogan Lovells will be 11 November. More >>

International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP announced today that Daniel Abercromby has joined the Firm as a partner. Mr. Abercromby is part of Weil’s Banking & Finance practice and is based in Hong Kong. Mr. Abercromby joined Weil from Kirkland & Ellis, where he was a partner in the Hong Kong office. More >>

Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Nicholas Sheets has joined the firm in the Hong Kong office as a partner in its global Private Funds Group. Mr. Sheets is an accomplished corporate lawyer who brings nearly a decade of experience advising Asia, U.S., and Latin America sponsors and investors in the structuring, formation, and offering of private equity funds as well as co-investment activities and secondary transactions. Mr. Sheets most recently practiced in the New York office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. More >>

International law firm Bird & Bird today appoints Michael Chik as a partner in its International Dispute Resolution Group, based in Hong Kong. Michael joins Bird & Bird from Norton Rose Fulbright in Hong Kong where he was a Counsel in the Dispute Resolution group. More >>

Sidley Austin LLP is pleased to announce that Meng Ding has joined the firm in Hong Kong as a partner in its China Corporate and Finance group. Mr. Ding joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a partner in the firm’s Capital Markets practice group. More >>

Alvin So, an experienced solicitor and investment adviser in Hong Kong specialising in IPOs, M&A, regulatory compliance, corporate finance, and direct investment transactions, has joined Nixon Peabody CWL as a partner in Hong Kong. So comes to the firm from the Hong Kong office of Eversheds Sutherland. More >>

Allen & Overy has appointed leading restructuring specialist Ian Chapman, as partner of its Asia Pacific Restructuring and Recovery Group (RRG). Regarded as one of the region’s finest distressed debt lawyers, Ian brings over three decades of frontline experience advising on many of the most complex and high profile restructurings and insolvencies in Asia. Before joining A&O, Chapman was the CEO of Workout Investments Ltd in Hong Kong. More >>

Cooley is continuing its growth in the Asia-Pacific region with the addition of corporate partner Ferish Patel, who will join in Hong Kong. He arrives from Gunderson Dettmer, where he served as head of the firm’s Singapore office. Cooley intends to continue its expansion into Southeast Asia and will pursue setting up a Singapore office to be led by Patel. The opening of such an office will be subject to obtaining regulatory and other approvals. More >>