Ropes & Gray has hired M&A specialist Jieni Gu, a former counsel at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, as a partner in its Shanghai office.

 Gu’s experience covers private equity, foreign direct investment cross-border M&A and general corporate matters. She has provided advice on transactional and regulatory matters for state-owned Chinese enterprises and multinational businesses from different industries, including finance, manufacturing, real estate, life sciences, and energy and natural resources.

 “Jieni’s experience, particularly with respect to China-outbound private sector transactions, adds substantial depth to our strategic M&A practice in China,” said Arthur Mok, the firm’s regional managing partner in Asia, in a statement.

 Gu’s hiring is in line with Ropes & Gray’s effort to expand its M&A and private equity practices in Asia. In August 2015, the firm’s Hong Kong office welcomed Daniel Yeh as a private equity partner.