CMS doubles down on Hong Kong with seven-lawyer hire

CMS has hired eight lawyers across Hong Kong and Singapore from BCLP - which announced its exit from Asia in March.

The hires bring in a seven-lawyer infrastructure and real estate team in Hong Kong, led by partners Glenn Haley and Wayne Ma, alongside one additional lawyer in Singapore. They follow Ilan Freiman, BCLP’s former Asia real estate and infrastructure co-head, who joined CMS last month.

Ma focuses on corporate M&A and finance work in the real estate, energy and infrastructure sectors. Haley, set to start in October, is regarded as one of Hong Kong’s leading projects and construction lawyers, advising on both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Hong Kong momentum

The arrivals follow recent senior hires for CMS in Hong Kong. It brought in M&A and private equity partner Steven Tran from MoFo in January and Helen Wang from Mayer Brown in November. In February, the firm merged its two Hong Kong operations into a single unified firm, operating as CMS Hong Kong and housing more than 40 lawyers.

While several international players have pulled back from mainland China in recent years, firms are more bullish on Hong Kong, where the IPO market, in particular, has been on fire so far this year.

What they said

Adrian Bell, CMS’s co-chief of Asia and Middle East, said: "We’re delighted to welcome Glenn, Wayne and the rest of the team to CMS. Together with Ilan’s appointment, these hires represent strategic investment in our APAC offering.

"The market is experiencing a boom in infrastructure investment, and this expansion in our practice will enable us to help clients make the most of these exciting developments."

Managing partner of CMS’s Hong Kong office, Steven Wise, added: "These hires build on the recent expansion of the Hong Kong office, constituting another significant step in CMS’s long-term commitment to this dynamic market."