U.S. law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has hired former Davis Polk Hong Kong counsel Zhan Chen as corporate partner at its Shanghai office.

Chen, who specialises in private equity, foreign direct investment and M&As, despite being based out of Shanghai, will work closely with the firm’s 2010-opened branch in Hong Kong. The appointment will help strengthen the firm’s Shanghai practice, following the departure of partners Eva Wang and Michelle Edwards to Covington & Burling in February this year.

In 2011, Chen assisted Stable Investment Corp, a subsidiary of Chinese sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp, and CITIC Capital China Access Fund on a $120 million joint investment in mining company China Lumena New Material Corp.

Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Chen was an associate at Davis Polk since 2002, before being promoted to counsel in January 2011. ALB

Kanishk Verghese is North Asia journalist at ALB. Follow him on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.

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