Minter Ellison has launched a tax practice in Asia with the hire of two tax specialists from Ernst and Young (EY) in Hong Kong.

The Australian firm, which earlier this month said it wanted to boost the amount of regional work it did in a bid to combat a sharp decline in domestic M&A activity, has recruited the E&Y duo Christian Pellone and Edward Lean to join its Hong Kong office and to spearhead the tax practice for the whole of Asia.