Kristi Swartz, the managing partner of the legacy Bryan Cave’s Hong Kong office, and partner Nigel Binnersley have left the recently merged Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP), a spokesperson for the firm confirmed.

The UK-headquartered Berwin Leighton Paisner and U.S. law firm Bryan Cave merged in April this year. The merged firm has five offices in Asia, including two in Hong Kong (Central and Quarry Bay).

Swartz and Binnersley are departing with a team of three associates, and are expected to set up their own firm in the city. The pair were earlier at the Hong Kong office of U.S. law firm Blank Rome, before it closed in 2013, after which they moved to Bryan Cave.

“We wish them (Swartz and Binnersley) the best with their new enterprise,” the spokesperson said.

The BCLP spokesperson added that the firm’s Hong Kong presence will be consolidated in the Quarry Bay office, where more than 50 fee earners are currently based. BCLP is also looking forward to completing the regulatory process in China that will finalise the merger for their Shanghai and Beijing locations in the coming weeks.

In April, Bob Charlton, the Asia head and Hong Kong office managing partner of the legacy Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP), left the firm ahead of the merger and joined Addleshaw Goddard.

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