London-headquartered Charles Russell Speechlys (CRS) has ventured into Asia by opening an office in Hong Kong, which will be run in association with a newly established local firm under Jonathan Mok, previously a partner at Mayer Brown JSM. 

Mok practises in all areas of family disputes and focuses on high-profile matrimonial, asset tracing and criminal litigation. He is one of the few civil solicitors to be granted higher rights of audience in Hong Kong and is the only solicitor advocate specialising in family disputes. 

Mok will be joined by Richard Grasby from Maples and Calder. Grasby, who was the first trusts partner at an offshore firm in Asia, will focus on private wealth advisory work. 

Ashley King-Christopher, a tax partner at CRS, will relocate to Hong Kong from London. He advises international clients and their family office executive teams on the integration of international wealth protection structures with business and investment transactions. 

Graeme Kleiner, who heads the contentious trusts and estates team at CRS, will take overall responsibility for coordinating the Hong Kong office with its other international offices.  

“Our move into Hong Kong fits squarely within our international expansion strategy,” said managing partner James Carter in a statement. “The firm will have direct access to clients and intermediaries in five of the world’s top ten private wealth centres, further extending our ability to support the world’s leading creators and owners of private wealth, their families and enterprises across the full spectrum of business and personal needs.”