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Simmons & Simmons has recruited a new labor law partner in Shanghai as the firm rebuilds its China employment practice following the exit of a five-lawyer team in February.
Matthew Durham has rejoined the British firm from Winston & Strawn, where he was Asia head of employment until earlier this year. Durham advises multinational clients on employment-related issues related to their operations and transactions in China, where earlier this year Winston & Strawn announced it would close an office in Beijing, as well as an outpost in Taipei.
The move marks a homecoming of sorts for Durham, who has had two previous stints at Simmons & Simmons. Most recently, he was a Shanghai-based consultant at the firm between 2007 and 2010. Durham qualified as a solicitor and started his career at Simmons & Simmons in London before moving to Magic Circle firm Linklaters.
In 2011, Durham became a partner at Clyde & Co, serving as head of employment for Greater China at the British firm. He left two years later to join Winston & Strawn in Shanghai.
In May, former Shanghai employment partner Lesli Ligorner left the firm with four additional Simmons & Simmons lawyers to launch a local office for Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. Fiona Loughrey, a Hong Kong-based Asia head of employment at Simmons & Simmons, said that Durham's hire is part of an ongoing expansion of her firm's employment practice. At least four more labor lawyers are expected to join Simmons & Simmons in Asia between now and year's end, she said.
Simmons & Simmons recently saw the former head of its China practice, Davis Wang, leave the firm's Beijing office to start his own corporate advisory shop. But Simmons & Simmons also hired Hogan Lovells corporate partner Michael Chin in Shanghai for its office in Hong Kong.
Anna Zhang is based in Hong Kong, where she writes about the business of law and legal issues in Asia and Australia. Contact her at azhang@alm.com. On Twitter: @annazhangc