DLA Piper has in recent years built up one of the largest Asia practices of any international law firm, with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Bangkok.
The majority of the cuts were in the Hong Kong office, the firm’s largest in the region, with over 100 lawyers. The layoffs were primarily focused on transactional practices.
DLA Piper is one of several firms that built large practices in the area in anticipation of a continued stream of initial public offerings by emerging Chinese companies.
DLA Piper’s Asia restructuring comes weeks after DLA Piper announced sweeping layoffs in the United States, cutting its ranks by 80 associates and 100 staffers. The firm has also had layoffs in the United Kingdom.