One of London's leading law firms is to merge with a Hong Kong practice, in a move which links the SAR's legal sector with the recent surge of international mergers.
Dibb Lupton Aslop, Britain's sixth-largest firm and among the top 20 worldwide, will merge with Lui & Carey on Monday.
The alliance is a 'first step', said Stewart Crowther, Dibb Lupton Aslop's regional managing partner.
Hong Kong has been left out of the merger loop recently, amid a frenzy of link-ups between British, European and United States firms vying for a slice of the global legal market.
For example, Clifford Chance recently joined with New York firm Rogers & Wells, the largest international merger with an estimated turnover of US$1 billion.
The thrust of the deal was to expose Clifford Chance to the benefits of the US market. Other mergers have focused on tapping the European market.
Most City of London firms have a significant presence in Hong Kong, preferring to build up existing practice areas from within rather than merging with local firms.