Ten lawyer team from Bryan Cave lured by Crowell & Moring in Planned Shanghai Launch

A 10 lawyer international trade and regulatory team from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner has been hired by Crowell & Moring, which has applied to open its first Asian office in Shanghai.

Joining Crowell & Moring are Los Angeles partners Nicole Simonian and Evan Chuck who will lead a team that also includes Washington, D.C.-based senior counsel Robert Clifton Burns and Los Angeles-based counsel Jackson Pai.

Additionally, all seven professionals in Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s Shanghai office will move along with the U.S.-based lawyers. Even as Crowell & Moring is in the process of applying for a foreign law firm license in Shanghai; the seven-member team, helmed by partner Zhongdong Zhang, will join Crowell & Moring International (C&M International), the law firm’s affiliated policy and regulatory affairs consulting business.

Now that the entire team has resigned, it is unclear whether Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner plans to restaff its Shanghai office. The firm did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

Most recently co-leader of Bryan Cave’s international trade practice, Simonian, will hold a similar role at Crowell, alongside Washington, D.C.-based John Brew. He will also lead an international employment and global mobility group for Crowell.

Most recently head of Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s China practice and chief representative in Shanghai, Chuck, will head up Crowell’s Asia practice. He represents multinationals on market entry, supply chain structuring, and other cross-border transactions and regulatory issues in China. In addition to partner Zhongdong Zhang, the Shanghai team will include four additional lawyers and one tax consultant.

Washington, D.C., partner and C&M International chief executive Robert Holleyman, said, “Our Shanghai office, in conjunction with our Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.-based international trade teams, will provide a valuable platform to help clients access and navigate the growing market.” Shanghai will be Washington, D.C.-based Crowell’s first-ever office in Asia.