U.S. litigation and arbitration firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has hired senior White Collar partner Samuel Williamson from Kirkland & Ellis as the firm prepares to launch an office in Shanghai.

Williamson will be the managing partner of Quinn Emanuel’s new office in Shanghai,  which is pending regulatory approval from the Chinese authorities.

Williamson, who previously headed K&E’s Asia-based Government Enforcement and Investigations Practice, represent clients in matters involving securities law, antitrust, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption enforcement-related work.

“China has become a major focus of U.S. regulatory enforcement efforts. We felt we needed a White Collar presence on the ground in Asia,” said Quinn Emanuel’s managing partner, John Quinn, in a statement.

“As the only former U.S. prosecutor who is fluent in Mandarin and is on the ground in Asia, we have found the right man for the job.”

Quinn Emanuel‘s Shanghai office will be the firm’s third office in Asia, after opening in Tokyo in 2007 and in Hong Kong in 2013.