Six lawyers have left Oldham, Li & Nie (OLN) to set up a Hong Kong boutique practice named Hugill & Ip, helmed by partners Adam Hugill and Alfred Ip.
Also joining the firm are corporate partner Chris Hooley, who headed that practice at OLN, and former OLN consultant Gary Wong, who joins the new firm as partner.
Leveraging their significant practice experience and existing client relationships, the founding partners pitch the firm as targeting the modern client. The goal is to emphasize openness, in office design, branding and of course practice.
It was the desire to create this environment, utilizing modern technology that motivated them to launch the new practice. With Hong Kong a crowded market, both Ip and Hugill note the important role of pre-existing clients
and established reputation. But when it comes to raising profile, it can still be challenging to stand out. “We don’t have an OpenRice for law firms,” Ip noted.
Having spent 13 years at OLN and specializing in private client, probate and trust and dispute resolution, Ip said the partners “are the beneficiaries of an affluent city, like Hong Kong,” where their legal services are very much
in demand. Hugill, who specialises in employment, business immigration and dispute resolution, added: “It’s just a matter of making yourself known.”
Although Hugill and Ip are still settling into their new premises, they are already thinking about expansion – albeit in a calculated manner. “There are practice areas that we’re looking to develop,” Hugill said. “There is also room for senior associates, and even partners, if the right people come along”.
Ip agreed the partners are focused on creating the right environment and recruiting likeminded people who subscribe to their “solution-driven, approachable, modern ideology.”
“What we’re trying to do now, with so many years of working together, is create an environment that we both believe in, and we want to attract people that believe the same,” he said.
Originally published on Asian Legal Business
