A&O Shearman has 15 fewer partners in Asia than it did prior to its merger in February last year.
The firm’s most recent partner departee in Asia was investment funds lawyers James Ford, who jumped ship to join Ashurst in Hong Kong after four years at the firm. He joined legacy Allen & Overy in 2021 from O’Melveny & Myers, where he was head of the firm’s Hong Kong office and its global investment funds practice.
Last week, Big Six South Korean firm Bae Kim & Lee also announced that it has gained a partner from A&O Shearman. Former veteran A&O partner and disputes lawyer Christopher Mainwaring-Taylor, who had served the British practice for almost 24 years until June last year, left to join Bae Kim & Lee as a partner.
In Asia, the ripple effects of the combination are being felt.
According to Law.com International research and data, four other A&O Shearman Asia partners, including senior corporate and project finance lawyers in Hong Kong and Shanghai, as well as a long-serving regional practice co-head are also no longer listed on the firm’s website.
A&O Shearman declined to comment.
Months later in September, Law.com International first reported that the newly merged firm A&O Shearman would cut 10% of its equity partnership, close its Johannesburg office and end its consulting practice as part of major post-merger changes.
In Asia, three of the combined firm’s senior partners—Andrew Schleider, Simon Makinson and Jason Humphreys—have retired from practice since the merger was voted through. Of the three, Schleider was the only legacy Shearman partner. Makinson has worked at legacy Allen & Overy for over 40 years while Humphreys served almost three decades until April last year.
Former Hong Kong partner Ian Chapman has also retired from the partnership and is currently serving the firm as a consultant.
Last year, the firm also lost former Shearman & Sterling capital markets partner Wanda Woo to Chinese law firm Jia Yuan Law Firm as well as legacy Allen & Overy Jakarta partner Michael Tardif to the Singapore office of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe.
These are in addition to the Hong Kong departures of its financial services regulatory partner Charlotte Robins, who moved to the Middle East to become the managing director for the policy and legal arms of the Dubai Financial Services Authority, as well as Joanne Lau, who joined the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre as Secretary-General 12 months ago.
The firm’s former Hong Kong corporate partner Benjamin Crawford has also left the city to move to the firm’s Abu Dhabi outfit last year.
Elsewhere in the world, departures from the firm have also continued.
In October, four of the firm’s New York partners left to join international rival Linklaters in its finance practice. Two months later, its New York outfit also suffered the loss of restructuring partner Robin Spigel, who joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
On Monday, the firm’s American antitrust partner Puja Patel also left for Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton.
