Watson Farley & Williams recently moved to a bigger office in Hong Kong as the shipping specialist firm looks to grow in the maritime, energy and infrastructure sectors, as well as in the aviation space. John Kang speaks to office head Madeline Leong about the office’s expansion plans, where they’re looking to grow and how big they plan to be in the city.

In our quarterly roundup of partner hires in Asia, John Kang analyses the trends behind the movements in Q1 of 2018, and finds the draw of Magic Circle firms declining.

The youngest among South Korea’s Big Five law firms, Yulchon completed two decades of operation last year. John Kang speaks to managing partner Yun Sai-ree about the firm’s focus on collaboration and R&D, and its future as the next generation of partners prepares to carry on the firm’s legacy.

Singaporean firm TSMP Law Corporation recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. John Kang speaks to joint managing partner Stefanie Yuen Thio about the firm’s biggest achievements in the past two decades, the benefits of being boutique, and running the firm with her joint managing partner and husband, Thio Shen Yi.

With women in top leadership positions in Hong Kong, the city at least has the right gender in place to make meaningful change for gender equality. John Kang assesses the slow progress in Hong Kong so far, and the need for gender quotas.

As South Korea and Uzbekistan’s diplomatic relationship strengthens, it is expected to give rise to an increased demand for legal services related to the Central Asian country.

Hong Kong-based Howse Williams Bowers has been on a meteoric rise since its founding just five years ago. After building a solid base by hiring nearly 20 partners, the firm is now looking to promote from within, reports John Kang.

The business of space has really grown in Japan in the past few years, and so has the resulting legal work. John Kang finds out more about this exciting new practice area, as well as the pressures it entails.

November marked a decade in Hong Kong for Weil, Gotshal & Manges. John Kang spoke to Akiko Mikumo, then the office head and Asia managing partner, about the how the firm focused on M&A and PE, how the Hong Kong office evolved, and what’s next for the firm.

Korean firm Bae, Kim & Lee, which had previously advised the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup organising committees, was chosen to advise the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) as well. John Kang speaks to the firm’s intellectual property team about its “rare opportunity.”