Li relocates to Clifford Chance

International law firm Clifford Chance has bolstered its China practice, luring Rupert Li to the firmÆs Hong Kong offices - with the intention to relocate him to Beijing. Li will join Clifford ChanceÆs China corporate practice as senior China partner and will focus his attentions on corporate, M&A, private equity, real estate and securities work in the Greater China region.

Li joins the Clifford Chance ranks from US law firm Morrison & Foerster in Hong Kong. For his former employer he was a partner and joined in 2003. While at Morrison & Foerster, Li was involved in a number of transactions including Rockefeller Group International's proposed $1 billion investment in a water front preservation and development project in Shanghai; and with Jilin Chemica's dual listing in Hong Kong and New York.

He started his international career at leading firms in San Francisco and New York, and has been a partner at US firms Coudert Brothers. In total, Li brings 19 years of legal experience in the US, Hong Kong and China to Clifford Chance.

"It is crucial that we continue to recruit such senior PRC background lawyers with significant international experience,ö says Roger Denny, Clifford Chance's Asian head of corporate and M&A. ôParticularly with China clearly emerging as one of the larger, more active M&A, private equity and securities markets in the region, our clients will undoubtedly benefit from Rupert's expertise."