Anglo-German law firm CMS has hired Steven Tran, a partner in Morrison Foerster’s Singapore-based corporate practice, as a partner in Hong Kong to oversee M&A and private equity transactions across Asia. 

Tran has 25 years of experience advising multinational corporations, as well as global and regional private equity funds and their portfolio companies, on multi-jurisdictional M&A and private equity transactions across Asia, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia.

His sectoral expertise spans the consumer, industrial, business services, real estate and technology markets.

The move marks a return to Hong Kong for Tran, who spent most of his career in the Chinese city. He joined MoFo in Singapore in 2023 from Mayer Brown Hong Kong, prior to which he held partner positions at Hogan Lovells and Kirkland & Ellis. 

“Hong Kong continues to be of strategic importance for CMS and Steve’s arrival signals our ongoing commitment to the APAC region,” said Caryn Miller, CMS partner and managing director for Asia and the Middle East, in a statement. 

CMS has been boosting its Hong Kong practice in recent months with the addition of funds partner Helen Wang as a partner from Mayer Brown in November, and funds partner Paul Moloney, also from Mayer Brown, in July. 

Tran is the fifth MoFo partner to depart in recent times. PRC law firm Jingtian & Gongcheng added securities and capital markets partners Vivian Yiu and Huang Ke in Hong Kong, while Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, the Singapore member firm of Baker McKenzie, added MoFo’s former managing partner Shirin Tang, along with partner Ang Lip Kian.

In February 2024, K&L Gates Straits Law took investment funds specialist Jason Nelms from Morrison Foerster.

The firm lists seven partners in Singapore, according to its website.