Herbert Smith Freehills has welcomed back banking and finance expert Ellen Mao as a partner in the Hong Kong office from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, where she was a counsel.

Mao advises international, Asian, and particularly Chinese clients on syndicated lending, cross-border financing, insolvency work and complex project financing.

Mao started her career with JunHe in Shanghai, before joining Clifford Chance in 2010. She moved to Paul Weiss in 2020.

With Mao’s addition, HSF’s Hong Kong office now has 20 partners, including Rachael Shek, another former alumna who returned in December 2021.