China

Washington DC-headquartered law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has boosted its Asian corporate offering with the appointment of Chen Li as a partner in the firm’s Beijing office.
Ms Chen, who has more than a decade’s worth of experience handling cross-border transactions in China - joins from Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy.
Ms Chen’s practice concentrates on outbound and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and foreign direct investment, with a focus on major Chinese state-owned enterprises.

UK

City law firm Trowers & Hamlins has snapped up specialist tax lawyer Simon Goldring to lead its private wealth practice.
Mr Goldring joins Trowers from RadcliffesLeBrasseur, where he has been a partner since 2008 and the firm's head of tax and private client since 2009. He is a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA), a member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estates Practitioners), a Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians, and he has an Advanced Diploma in International Taxation (ADIT).

Slater & Gordon has announced the appointment of Keith Etherington as an associate, who will specialise in inheritance and trust disputes and mediation at the company’s Manchester office.
Mr Etherington joins from Mellor & Jackson, where he had worked since 1987, becoming an accomplished lawyer having dealt with emotive disputes such as inheritance and trust throughout his 26 year career.

US law firm Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft has announced that Holly Neavill and Louisa Watt have joined the firm’s financial restructuring department as Partners. They will be based in the London office.
Ms Neavill joins Cadwalader from Latham & Watkins, where she was a partner in the London office.
Ms Watt joins from Richards Kibbe & Orbe, where she was a partner in the London office and a member of the firm’s executive committee.

Europe

Italian law firm Bonelli Erede Pappalardo has voted in a new management team as part of a broad project of reform.
Head of international tax and transfer pricing Stefano Simontacchi and employment department coordinator Marcello Giustiniani were both unanimously voted in as managing partners.
Mr Simontacchi will be responsible for the strategic development of the firm and will be its external spokesperson, while Mr Giustiniani - one of the founding members of Bonelli Erede Pappalardo when it formed in 1999 – will organise and manage internal affairs at the firm

Top Turkish law firm Mehmet Gün & Partners has promoted Orçun Çetinkaya, Özge At?lgan Karakulak and Pelin Baysal to its partnership.
The promotions bring the number of partners at the firm to 10.
The firm has seen significant expansion in the last few years as the Turkish economy continues its growth trajectory outside the Eurozone.
Founding partner Mehmet Gün said: ‘Turkey is one of the fastest expanding economies of Europe with immense opportunity for growth and investment. Our clients value our breadth of expertise and experience in the region and these senior appointments reinforce our strength in depth across our core practice groups.’