Charles Russell Speechlys strengthens expertise across Asia with trio Partner hire

Charles Russell Speechlys today welcomes three lateral Partners to the Firm across its Hong Kong and London offices. Francis Li and Wendy Fong join the Corporate team in Hong Kong and Jue Jun Lu joins the Commercial Dispute Resolution team in London. Their arrival marks a step forward in the Firm’s strategic ambition to grow its international Private Capital offering in key markets, including Asia.

Francis and Wendy join from Squire Patton Boggs, Hong Kong, where they established a distinguished practice in corporate finance, equity capital markets, cross-border transactions and advisory work for a wide range of conglomerates in different jurisdictions. Francis has served as Partner since 2006 and Wendy since 2018, collectively contributing over four decades of combined experience to the Firm. They join the Firm accompanied by a selected team. 

Jue Jun Lu joins from DLA Piper and has a particular focus on International Arbitration. With nearly 15 years’ experience in resolving complex, cross-border commercial disputes, Jue Jun is a highly regarded arbitration specialist with a strong market profile, particularly noted for her expertise in Asia and Chinese-related matters. Her profound understanding of Chinese culture and business, combined with her reputation as the “go to litigator” for clients seeking English law advice, has enabled her to establish an excellent platform for representing international parties in cross-border proceedings against Chinese and Asian opponents.

Simon Ridpath, Managing Partner, comments: 

We are committed to becoming the leading private capital firm of choice in all major global wealth hubs. These appointments feed into the continued growth of our Asia offering and are important steps forward in achieving that ambition. I’d like to extend a very warm welcome to Francis Li, Wendy Fong and Jue Jun Lu, who will all play a key role in developing our transactional, dispute resolution and advisory capabilities across multiple jurisdictions.

Francis Li, Partner, comments:

I am excited to be joining Charles Russell Speechlys, which has been growing quickly in recent years and has a strong reputation in Hong Kong. I look forward to the opportunities that being part of the Firm will create for me and my clients, as well as meeting my new colleagues in due course in and outside of Asia.

Wendy Fong, Partner, comments:

I am pleased to be joining Charles Russell Speechlys during a time of significant growth and investment into its Asia practices. I am particularly looking forward to working with colleagues across international offices to deliver cross-border support to clients navigating complex transactional and governance matters.

Jue Jun Lu, Partner, comments:

Charles Russell Speechlys’ full-service offering, international footprint and private capital strategy will be of significant value to my clients and contacts, particularly given the heightened geopolitical tensions at present. I am keen to work alongside our team’s well respected commercial dispute resolution team to target arbitration and related opportunities emanating from China and Asia (particularly, Hong Kong and Singapore), the UK and Europe, as well as other key regional hubs for international arbitration.