Cooley has recruited Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom partner Will Cai as the west coast- based US firm plans to launch its third Asian office by opening in Hong Kong.

Cai, who is qualified in both the US and Hong Kong, regularly advises Chinese tech and internet companies on listings in Hong Kong and the US. Last year, he worked on several big-ticket initial public offerings, including acting for Chinese video streaming site iQiyi Inc on its $2.25bn Nasdaq listing in March and representing smartphone maker Xiaomi on its $4.7bn IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.