Stephenson Harwood has grown its Greater China team with the appointments of Peter Hodson and Jezamine Fewins as consultants in Hong Kong, and Hugh Dong as a legal director in the firm’s newly launched office in Beijing.

DLA Piper has bolstered its intellectual property practice with the hire of partner Horace Lam from Jones Day to head the firm’s China IP practice in Beijing.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Baker & McKenzie have represented Chinese Internet firm Tencent Holdings Ltd on its $448 million acquisition of a 36.5 percent stake in Chinese Internet search provider Sogou Inc.

Litigation and dispute resolution law firm Gall has bolstered its HK offering with the appointments of dispute resolution partner Michael Withington, employment partner Jennifer Van Dale and registered foreign lawyer Caroline McNally.

Herbert Smith Freehills has added to its Greater China dispute resolution capabilities with the hire of Arthur Ma as a counsel in Beijing and Emily Lam as a senior consultant in Hong Kong.

In August, two highly publicised events – a Chinese court ruling and the conclusion of a price- fixing investigation conducted by China’s National Development and Reform Commission – have underscored China’s hardening stance against anti-competitive behaviour. The emergence of several global companies on the list of offenders, as well as the severity of the penalties imposed, indicate that foreign firms are no longer insulated from antitrust investigations. Kanishk Verghese reports

Allen & Overy, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamiltion, and Kim & Chang have advised on ING Group’s 1.84 trillion won ($1.65 billion) sale of its South Korean insurance unit to private equity firm MBK Partners.

Shearman & Sterling and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton have acted on China’s Simcere Pharmaceutical Group’s agreement to be taken private for about $495 million by a consortium led by founder Jingsheng Ren.

UK law firm Addleshaw Goddard has formed an association with a new Hong Kong firm, Stewien & Co, launched by partners from DLA Piper and Minter Ellison.

King & Wood Mallesons and SJ Berwin have announced that they will combine to increase their global reach and capabilities.