Clifford Chance recently announced that Jonathan Chu has officially joined its Hong Kong office as a partner and Head of Intellectual Property for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to this move Mr. Chu served as an intellectual property partner at CMS and the head of its Beijing office.

The practice of Mr. Chu encompasses both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters including intellectual property issues arising from corporate transactions, global intellectual property filing and prosecution, licensing and commercialization, technology transfer, due diligence, and intellectual property litigation and enforcement strategies across Greater China. Furthermore he frequently advises clients on anti-counterfeiting strategies, customs seizures, co-development arrangements, commercial agreements, and data privacy. According to Clifford Chance the practice of Mr. Chu upon joining the firm will also expand to encompass intellectual property issues related to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital assets.

Mr. Chu and his three-lawyer intellectual property team previously transitioned to CMS from Stephenson Harwood in 2020. He had served as a partner at Stephenson Harwood since 2016 and practiced as a partner at Hong Kong-based William W.L. Fan & Co. prior to that tenure. Mr. Chu holds an LL.B. with Honours from Brunel University London, a Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) and an LL.M. from the City University of Hong Kong, alongside an LL.M. from the University of Edinburgh.

Following his departure CMS will retain 15 partners in Hong Kong none of whom currently offer legal advisory services in intellectual property. The firm also maintains two remaining partners in its Beijing office focusing primarily on corporate law, real estate, and dispute resolution.