Linklaters has lost another China partner as Beijing-based Pui Hong Chik has joined Ashurst’s Hong Kong office.
Chik joined Linklaters as a partner in 2012 from Baker McKenzie’s Beijing office where he had been a partner since 2007. His practice focuses on equity capital markets work, particularly on Hong Kong IPOs and advising Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Ashurst’s new regional head for Asia Nigel Pridmore said the appointment came as China business continued to “represent an extremely attractive market segment”.
Ashurst US partner Stuart Rubin, head of corporate transactions in Asia, added:”Hong Kong ECM has long been, and will continue to be, an engine for the growth of our broader corporate practice.”
Ashurst’s Asia leadership team has undergone notable changes in the past year. In Singapore, former office managing partner Keith McGuire left for PwC Legal in September 2016. In the same month, his successor Shaun Lascelles move to London to join Vinson & Elkins.
In Hong Kong, former managing partner Lina Lee and colleague corporate partner Jonathan Hsui both left for Allen & Overy also in September 2016. Lee was replaced by Joshua Cole who joined Ashurst from King & Wood Mallesons in 2015.
Most recently, Hong Kong banking and finance partner Nigel Pridmore took over the Asia managing partner role from predecessor Matthew Bubb, who relocated from Singapore to Tokyo in 2015.
Following Chik’s departure, Linklaters will be left with just three partners based in its Beijing and Shanghai offices.
The past two years has seen a raft of partner departures from Linklaters’ Greater China offices. China-focused corporate partners Betty Yap and Judie Ng Shortell, who joined Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garriso’s Hong Kong office, were the last significant exits from the magic circle firms.
In April 2016, the firm made a strategic decision to end its merger search in China and spin-off PRC qualified lawyers to form a joint venture in Shanghai Free Trade zone.
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