With year-end celebrations and a slowdown in business activity, Asia’s lateral hiring market was much quieter in December than in previous months, and the major legal hubs – Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul and Tokyo – only saw between one and four partner moves each. A notable trend among these limited partner moves was that partners are moving either from international law firms to regional or local firms, or from large practices to much smaller boutique or even start-up firms.
Chinese law firms continue to expand in their home country, with new domestic offices being launched in secondary Chinese cities. In addition, HKIAC’s Beijing launch contrasted with the news that top US law firm, Milbank, will be closing operations in the capital city.
Read our full market update below for further insights into the region’s evolving legal landscape.
