US West Coast firm Orrick seems to be proving that flexibility and innovation on fees can be an advantage not only in the market for clients but also in the market for top talent.

The latest lawyer to join Orrick is Wu Niping, formerly a Cleary Gottlieb counsel in Beijing. Now a partner in Orrick's corporate group (also in Beijing), she will continue to focus on M&A and PE transactions.

Wu stated that besides Orrick's long and strong commitment to China, the firm's progressive global strategy, which includes pioneering the development of alternative fee arrangements, was another key factor in her decision.

Wu's appointment marks the third addition to Orrick's China team in recent months: the firm hired capital markets partner Phoebus Chu from Paul Hastings in November, and relocated partner Thomas Tobiason from Silicon Valley to Shanghai in October. 

The strong recovery of the China market has encouraged Orrick's recent expansion. "I think the China market is recovering faster than other markets in Asia or globally. This certainly presents opportunities for law firms to grow their China teams," said Wu. "However, I think the main challenge for international firms now is to devise strategies which recognise the changing way in which clients in China and elsewhere are consuming legal services." 

Wu - equipped with a law degree and JD from Yale and more than a decade of experience working for clients such as Bank of America, Nokia, TPG - also holds a positive outlook for the legal services market in her particular fields.  "I think the M&A and private equity markets in China will continue to recover in 2010, although western private equity funds will increasingly face competition from domestic funds," she said.