The bleak outlook for the economy has not discouraged Run Ming from its effort to boost its service team by recruiting legal professionals with an international background.

The Beijing-headquartered firm poached corporate finance lawyer Ding Zhenyu (Philips) from the Hong Kong Office of Dewey & LeBoeuf for the partnership of its Shanghai office in January 2009.

Ding has extensive experience in the area of cross-border M&A, corporate finance and project finance. He started his legal practice at Fangda Partners before moving to Hong Kong where he successively served two international firms, Simmons & Simmons and Dewey & LeBoeuf . Ding will lead Run Ming in its further development of foreign-related legal services in Shanghai.

Run Ming has made several other appointments from other international firms, including Latham & Watkins, Orrick and Paul Hastings. The new recruits will be based in Beijing and Shanghai to strengthen and improve the firm’s position in China’s foreign-related legal service market.