Hong Kong and Tokyo took the lead last month in the Asia lateral movement markets, with each jurisdiction recording some significant team hires including Stephenson Harwood’s HK capital markets team hire from Hogan Lovells, Sidley Austin taking an energy/infrastructure team from Pillsbury, and Mayer Brown hiring a team from A&O Shearman.

Chinese law firms’ international expansions are exhibiting a mixture of ups and downs. King & Wood announced their split with Mallesons while continuing to launch new offices in the US and Canada; Joint-Win entered New York and Washington, while Yingke quietly closed in London. Furthermore, with STB launching in Singapore, Minter Ellison closing in Beijing, and Pinsent Masons setting up an official alliance with CCL, it is apparent that firms are pursuing diverse international growth strategies.

Check out our final market update of April 2026: https://ssq-online.com/cr/AQiYnwUQ2qWuBxigxMu9ATCF0INCyJUlzeUYRxY6m7O-cRj70sKgptsnQGqih3wFkkCp104