News of the latest push in Hong Kong comes just days after it was revealed that Latham & Watkins is laying the groundwork for an office opening in Seoul. In a bid to further develop its private equity and leveraged finance practices in Hong Kong, the firm has scooped up Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer counsel Amy Beckingham, Hogan Lovells Hong Kong banking head Gary Hamp and Clifford Chance's Carlyle Asia relationship partner Simon Cooke. Mr Cooke is the sixth Clifford Chance private equity partner to defect to Latham & Watkins since 2013.
Rushuffle
Latham & Watkins is also rerouting existing talent to help steer the Hong Kong office. London-based high-yield partner James Burnett and Chicago-based restructuring partner Josef Athanas will both be packing their bags for Hong Kong to contribute their expertise. Capital markets lawyer Ben Carale and project finance counsel Sungjin Kang have also been promoted to the Hong Kong partnership, bringing the office's total partner headcount to 20.
The next frontier
Latham & Watkins' Asia Practice chair Bryant Edwards commented: 'Ten to 15 years ago, we saw strong growth in private equity and related finance in London and Europe. We're seeing the same patterns in Asia today, in particular where high yield has grown to become a significant part of leveraged finance. We have a first-tier practice, which will be further strengthened by the arrival of Simon, Gary, Amy, James and Josef.' Vice chair David Gordon added: 'We are excited by the opportunities we see in Hong Kong and in Greater China, and we are committed to assembling the very best team to build on our successes in the region and to grow our market share.' Sources: Latham & Watkins; The Lawyer
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