Jones Day's one-firm policy lures ex-DLA Beijing head

Jones Day's one-firm policy lures ex-DLA Beijing head" />Former DLA Piper Beijing head Jingzhou Tao joined Jones Day as a partner last week and vowed to increase his focus on international work.

According to Tao, a number of associates are likely to follow him from DLA Piper in the coming weeks. Tao added he will spend a lot of time working with colleagues in the firm's Paris office as well as New York and Tokyo.

"I like Jones Day's one-firm policy," he said. "I have a strong French connection and will be working with people in Paris on M&A and arbitration work. I will also be working with the Tokyo office as I have two old friends that are partners there. I will be travelling a lot."

Jones Day managing partner Stephen Brogan reaffirmed that Tao's appointment, first revealed on www.thelawyer. com (13 November), is significant due to the international slant to his practice.

"His expertise in China matters and admission to practise law in France will further enhance Jones Day's ability to serve clients around the world as one firm worldwide," Brogan said.

With the addition of Tao, an influential figure who has practised in the Chinese market for 15 years, Jones Day now has 45 fee-earners in Beijing.

As revealed by The Lawyer (8 October), Tao left DLA Piper following disagreements over strategy with Asia managing partner Nick Seddon.

Seddon is set to leave the firm next spring with Alastair de Costa, DLA Piper's Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) corporate head, relocating to Hong Kong to take charge of Asia.

Tao joined DLA Piper in October 2005 from the market-leading Chinese practice of Coudert Brothers, where he was the China managing partner. That team was split between Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe and DLA Piper when Coudert dissolved in 2005.