UK firm Eversheds has been on an expansion drive in the past month. Having opened its first Asia office in Shanghai in 2006, it has now lured five partners from DLA Piper and one from Fried Frank, as part of its plan to launch a Hong Kong office in March.

The Hong Kong office will be the firm’s third base in Asia; it opened its Singapore office, with the former DLA Piper Singapore managing partner Desmond Ong to head it, in January.

The new partners are banking partners King Tak Fung and Michael Yau, and litigation partners Ivan Ng, Ronald Sum and William Leung from DLA Piper’s Hong Kong office. Corporate partner Stephen Mok comes from Fried Frank’s Hong Kong office.  The firm’s Asia practice and expansion is headed by partner Nick Seddon, who joined from Heller Ehrman last October. He had been the head of Asia at DLA Piper.