DLA Piper hires CC lawyer in Hong Kong

DLA Piper has hired Clifford Chance senior associate William Harrison as a partner in its Asian insurance practice.

Harrison will be based in Hong Kong and is to focus on financial lines and speciality insurance including directors’ and officers’ liability, professional indemnity, fidelity and product liability insurance.

“The appointment is part of our expansion in strategic practice areas,” said Asia managing partner Nick Seddon. “The increasing complexity of regulatory issues and insurance litigation in the region means there is a constant demand for lawyers with experience dealing with sophisticated, high-profile cases.”

Meanwhile, Clifford Chance has responded to the move through the transfer of London-based insurance senior associate Alex Gordon to Hong Kong.

Harrison’s hire comes less than a week after Seddon and top Asian rainmaker Jingzhou Tao, who headed DLA Piper’s Beijing head, resigned following disagreements on strategy (The Lawyer, 8 October).

Seddon will remain with the firm until next spring with DLA Piper's Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) corporate head Alastair de Costa relocating to Hong Kong to take charge of the Asian region.