Walkers, the international law firm that caters Fortune 100 companies and high net worth individuals, has named Carol Hall as the head of its newly created investment funds group in Hong Kong.

Ms Hall, whose merger and acquisition, investment and corporate finance experience spans over 17 years, has been with the company since 2005 and specialises in private equity funds and hedge funds. She will be supported by partner Denise Wong, who specialises in various areas of corporate transactions.

"Asia and Hong Kong in particular have been considerable focal points for Walkers' growth in recent years and we have received an excellent response from our clients in this region," said Ms. Hall in a statement.

"With the resurgence in client activity that we have seen in recent months in Asia, and with many managers now looking to structure funds with more complex strategies and higher levels of liquidity, 2010 promises to be a particularly interesting time for the market. Our expertise will be particularly important to ensure that our clients can structure funds that will meet their goals," she added.

Walkers Investment Funds Group is one of the largest specialist ofshore investment funds teams worldwide, with over 85 lawyers across seven international officers. The firm advises most of the world's best known names in the investment funds world, including administrators, asset managers, promoters, institutional investors, private equity houses and onshore law firms.

"We anticipate a period of sustained hedge fund start-up activity in Asia over the next 12-to-18 months, with more managers from mainland China setting up shop in Hong Kong or Singapore and attracting money
from mainland investors," said Ms Wong.

"Potential legislative changes could also result in managers establishing representative offices in or, in some cases, fully relocating to Asia from Europe and the United States."