Four Asia-based lawyers have been promoted in O'Melveny & Myers global 15-strong 2009 partnership overhaul.

In Beijing, competition lawyer Nathan Bush and corporate transactions attorney David Roberts have been promoted, while the Hong Kong office will be boosted with the promotions of Friven Yeoh, who advises on cross border dispute resolution, and corporate finance lawyer Peter Chen.

The firm's Asia practice head, Howard Chao, said the promotions were a reflection of the diversity of the China practice, which counted almost 30% of the promotions.

"This is indicative of [our] commitment to the China market, and how quickly we are growing here. It's noteworthy, too, that the four new partners are all from quite different practice areas - US corporate, HK corporate, regulatory, and disputes," said Chao.
 
Chao said that the promotions further strengthen the firm's position in the competitive legal market.
"We believe that China is one of the pivotal markets for international law firms, and we are determined to maintain our market leadership," he added.