Chinese firm Haiwen & Partner has recruited a fifth partner in its newly launched Hong Kong office .
Film and entertainment law specialist Zhou Jian has joined from Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., where she was a Hong Kong-based in-house counsel advising on production, distribution and investments in China.
Zhou joined Sony Pictures in 2016 and before that practiced with Covington & Burling in Beijing for seven years, advising on film and television licensing, distribution and transactions.
Beijing-based Haiwen launched its Hong Kong office earlier this year with an association with local firm Lu & Associates. Before Zhou's arrival, the firm had four partners in Hong Kong: capital markets partners Max Hua and Guiping Lu, private equity partner Wu Zuolong and corporate partner Huang Lixin. A traditionally strong corporate and securities law player, Haiwen expanded into entertainment law in 2014 when it recruited partner Cao Yu , a former Covington & Burling counsel.
In addition to the five partners, Haiwen is also in the process of hiring four associates in Hong Kong. Recruiting of associates will continue, according to Lu, a former Latham & Watkins counsel who joined the firm in early 2016, first to launch a Shenzhen office for the firm and then the Hong Kong office.
Haiwen, now with about 200 lawyers on staff, has offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and 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.