New partners William Barber, Steven Birt, Nathan Dentice, Jonathan Green, David Harrington, Alex Kaung, Desmond Liaw, David Morrison, Eddy So, and Desmond Yu, will be joining MinterEllison’s Hong Kong office in January 2019.

Ms Kimmitt said the Reed Smith hires will add “considerable bandwidth to MinterEllison’s existing offer across the region.”

“We are looking forward to welcoming the new Partners and their staff from Reed Smith in the New Year,” she said, adding that “they will add significant expertise to our disputes, regulatory, and intellectual property offerings, bringing with them excellent knowledge and experience of the Hong Kong and China markets.”

Senior associates, lawyers and support staff will be joining the ten partners in making the switch to MinterEllison.

In an increasingly complex geopolitical environment characterised by ‘trade wars’, Ms Kimmitt said there is strong demand for the advice of an independent Australian law firm in both Hong Kong and China markets.

She noted the conclusion of negotiations for a “milestone” Australia and Hong Kong free trade agreement last month, and said “Hong Kong is a significant trading partner for Australia – substantial trade and investment relationships already exist between the two countries.”

“With heightened complexity in the geopolitical realm – and changing spheres of influence – we recognise the increasing demand for truly independent advice,” Ms Kimmitt said, with this being particularly relevant for the areas of disputes and regulation.

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MinterEllison chairman and managing partner of the firm’s Asian offices Fred Kinmonth is delighted “with the addition of such significant expertise from a global leader.”

“In 2018, the total market capitalisation of Hong Kong's stock market reached upwards of US$4.3 trillion yet there is also awareness of downside risk in the ongoing China/US trade wars,” he said.

In that context, Mr Kinmonth said “MinterEllison’s expanded expertise in the disputes and regulatory areas means our firm will have an enhanced ability to help our clients to better understand and manage complex transactions.”

“The addition of a full-service intellectual property capability covering IP registration, commercialisation and enforcement provides our clients with these essential services in an increasingly competitive global environment.”

One of the partners making the move, David Morrison, said Hong Kong’s financial market has been on a “remarkable journey.”

“On 1 May 2018, we saw a brand-new era begin when new rules took effect that opened the door to innovative companies that use non-standard share structures and pre-revenue biotech companies,” he said.

“This was a significant transformative change to the local market and is just one example of the sort of change seen in the rapidly evolving regulatory market in Hong Kong.”

Having practiced in Hong Kong since 1984, Mr Morrison said there has never been a higher demand for “experienced practitioners who had the experience and market knowledge to advise on corporate, regulatory and securities litigation and related public and constitutional law issues often in cross border settings.”