The international law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell has added Chinese and Hong Kong M&A lawyer Paul Chow to its Hong Kong practice.

Chow steps in at a time when the firm is ramping up its Hong Kong presence, which was recently bolstered by the 1 November 2010 conversion of its local office into a full-fledged law practice. Chow's appointment rounds out the firm's core team, which already includes Bonnie YT Chan and Antony Dapiran.

Prior to Davis Polk, Chow served as partner and head of Linklaters' Beijing branch. Before that, he was a partner at Linklaters' Hong Kong office and at Slaughter and May. He also serves as a solicitor at both the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and the High Court of the Hong Kong SAR.

"The addition of local Hong Kong law capabilities to the firm's US law practice in China is strategically important step that expands the company's presence in Asia," Davis Polk said in a statement.

"Most of the firm's nearly 40 lawyers in Hong Kong are dually admitted locally and in New York, and a number are UK-qualified, as well. These include eight partners and about 20 associates who are admitted in Hong Kong."

Davis Polk & Wardell has an active China practice with offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. The China team now consists of over 40 lawyers, specialising in cross-border securities, M&A and strategic investment transactions. Worldwide, it has a network of more than 750 lawyers.