Allen & Overy (A&O) has announced his second lateral from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in as many days, this time hiring a corporate partner in Shanghai.

Freshfields corporate partner Jack Wang will be switching over to the firm’s magic circle rival, after a decade as a partner in Asia. He was promoted to the firm’s partnership in April 2007.

He relocated from Beijing to Shanghai in 2011 as part of a series of changes to the China corporate group. At the same time, corporate partner Teresa Ko was appointed chair of the firm’s practice in the country; a new role for the firm.

Wang speaks Mandarin, English and Taiwanese, recently leading with Hong Kong partner Rob Ashworth on Starbucks’ $1.3bn buy-out of its East China joint venture from Uni-President Enterprises and President Chain Store. The transaction marked the largest acquisition in Starbucks’ history.

Other deals include Zhejiang Geely Holding Group’s $1.8bn acquisition of Volvo from the Ford Motor Company in 2010.

His departure leaves Freshfields with one corporate partner in Shanghai; Alan Wang made partner in the same year as Jack Wang.

 

A&O last made a significant corporate hire in mainland China at the end of 2016, when Wayne Lee joined from Shearman & Sterling where he was a counsel. Lee is now understood to be based in Hong Kong.

According to the firm’s website, A&O has one corporate M&A partner in Beijing (Victor Ho). There are there partners specialising in corporate and M&A in the firm’s Shanghai office.