King & Wood Mallesons has hired Zili Shao, a former China chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase and a former Asia managing partner of Linklaters, as co-chairman of its China management committee.

According to a press release from the firm, Shao is expected to play “a key role in the globalization of the firm.” As a lawyer, he specialized in China-related mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and foreign direct investment.

At Linklaters, he headed the firm's China practice from 1998 to 2003, and served as managing partner for Greater China between 2003 and 2009. He was Asia managing partner of Linklater for about a year before joining JP Morgan Chase.