Nixon Peabody CWL has hired Henry Wheare as an intellectual property partner in Hong Kong from Hogan Lovells, where he had been a partner for two decades, and was most recently a counsel.

Wheare focuses his practice on intellectual property protection and dispute resolution in cases involving patents, trademarks, copyright, designs and confidential information, with an emphasis on cross-border solutions. 

In July 2017, Hogan Lovells had confirmed that two senior IP practitioners in Asia would be leaving the firm later in the year – Wheare and partner Deanna Wong. Wheare was said to be retiring, while Wong, who used to split her time between Hong Kong and Beijing, was said to be looking for opportunities outside large law firms.

In 2015, Nixon Peabody consolidated its Hong Kong operations by teaming with local firm CWL Partners, forming the new entity Nixon Peabody CWL. The firm has about 30 lawyers in Hong Kong, 13 of whom are partners.