SJ Berwin is believed to be on the cusp of securing permission to open its first Asian office in Hong Kong – and former Dewey & LeBoeuf partner Daniel Liew is expected to be its man on the ground.
Liew was charged with the same task at Dewey – he opened their HK office in 2007 – but this time he will be supported by former Dewey counsel Peter Tse and the current head of SJ Berwin’s German-based real estate practice, Hans Thomas Kessler.
The firm’s senior partner, Jonathan Blake, said that such a move was always on the cards but it was simply a matter of getting the timing right and finding the right resources.
“We have felt for some time that it is a market to be in and we waited for the right opportunity. There are a number of business areas that we want to develop in Hong Kong and it was about getting the plan together, and having the right people,” he said. “We feel that Hong Kong is an important base for the whole of China and the East Asian region, and we see that as a huge growing market where our core areas will be very important.”