CMS has hired a group of seven lawyers from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) in Hong Kong, taking advantage of the latter firm’s decision to close its office in the special administrative region earlier this year.
The incoming team includes two partners – Glenn Haley and Wayne Ma – and will bolster the firm’s construction, infrastructure and real estate coverage in the Asia Pacific region. In addition to the Hong Kong hires, the firm is also adding another lawyer from BCLP in Singapore. The new recruits follow the July hire of Ilan Freiman, who was previously co-head of BCLP’s Asia real estate and infrastructure practice.
CMS officially merged with its Hong Kong alliance firm Lau Horton & Wise back in February.
Adrian Bell, joint managing director for Asia and the Middle East at CMS, said: “Together with Ilan’s appointment, these hires represent strategic investment in our APAC offering. The market is experiencing a boom in infrastructure investment, and this expansion in our practice will enable us to help clients make the most of these exciting developments.”
Haley arrives after a decade at BCLP, having joined legacy Berwin Leighton Paisner in 2015 when it acquired his firm Haley & Co. He brings with him more than 35 years of experience advising on construction, engineering and infrastructure projects in both contentious and non-contentious matters, including airports, rail, bridges, roads, tunnels and power generation projects. He is set to join CMS’s infrastructure, construction and energy disputes team from 1 October.
Ma, meanwhile, arrives after just under five years at BCLP, having previously been a partner at DLA Piper and Paul Hastings before that. He started his legal career as an associate at legacy firm Troutman Sanders. Ma is a corporate M&A and finance lawyer specialising in the real estate and energy and infrastructure asset classes. He joins CMS this month.
Steven Wise, managing partner of CMS Hong Kong, said: “These hires build on the recent expansion of the Hong Kong office, constituting another significant step in CMS’s long-term commitment to this dynamic market. By continuing to invest in exceptional talent, we are strengthening our ability to support clients with both local expertise and global reach.”
BCLP announced in March that it was winding down its Asia business and shutting its offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. At the time, BCLP had four partners in Hong Kong, two of which also operated in Singapore, where it had an additional partner.
A number of firms have exited Hong Kong following the Chinese government’s passing of a controversial national security law in 2020. Last July, Dechert announced plans to shut in Hong Kong and Beijing, while in December 2023 Winston & Strawn said it was shuttering its Hong Kong office.
Other firms have seen those exits as an opportunity for expansion. In April, Japan’s Miura & Partners announced plans to open a Hong Kong office as part of a wider global growth push. DAC Beachcroft also debuted in Hong Kong last September.
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