The firm is pleased to announce that Michelle Edwards, Eva Wang and Scott Anthony have joined the firm as partners, and Carmen Chang has joined as senior of counsel. Wei Zhou has joined the firm as a senior advisor. The new team is renowned for its China-focused practice representing technology companies based in China and Silicon Valley.

Timothy Hester, chair of Covington?s management committee, said the new team will be a great resource for U.S. and European clients seeking to do business in Asia and for Chinese clients seeking to do business in the rest of the world.

?Covington has applied to open an office in Shanghai and these additions would help provide the core of that office when it is approved, hopefully later this year,? Mr. Hester said. ?Combining this world-class practice with our corporate resources in the U.S. and Europe and our premier regulatory practices will create huge benefits for our existing clients as well as the clients of our new colleagues.?

?Covington offers a wonderful platform for our practice,? said Ms. Edwards. ?We have been impressed with the firm?s commitment to growing in Silicon Valley and Beijing. The decision to open an office in Shanghai is further evidence of the firm?s commitment to China.?

Ms. Edwards practices corporate and securities law. She focuses on the representation of China-based clients, both public and private, as well as U.S.-based corporations engaging in cross-border transactions with Chinese counterparties. She will be resident in the Beijing office.

?Our clients engaged in international business ventures will benefit immensely from the firm?s expertise dealing with policy, regulatory and intellectual property hurdles? noted Mr. Anthony, who works with both U.S. and China-based public and private companies. He specializes in mergers and acquisitions and his clients include technology and clean technology, software, networking and communications, semiconductor, energy storage, solar and life sciences companies. He will be resident in Covington?s Silicon Valley office.

Ms. Wang practices corporate and securities law. Fluent in Mandarin, she will be based initially in Beijing, and in Shanghai when that office opens. She previously served as general counsel and vice president of legal affairs at Spreadtrum Communications, a leading NASDAQ-listed Chinese semiconductor company focused on the wireless communications market.

Ms. Chang is regarded as one of the preeminent corporate lawyers in Silicon Valley. She represents public and private technology companies and financial institutions in public offerings, M&A and joint ventures in the U.S. and abroad. A native of Zhejiang, China, she is fluent in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese. Ms. Chang will divide her time between the firm?s Silicon Valley and China offices.

Mr. Zhou joins Covington as a senior advisor. He will assist the firm in expanding its practice in the life sciences sector in Silicon Valley and in China. He holds several advanced degrees, including a law degree from Stanford Law School. He was previously a vice president of intellectual property and advanced technology and general manager of China operations at Affymetrix, Inc. He currently serves as the CEO of Centrillion Biosciences, Inc. in Mountain View, Calif.

Covington & Burling LLP, an international law firm, provides corporate, litigation, and regulatory expertise to enable clients to achieve their goals. Founded in 1919, the firm has more than 800 lawyers and offices in Beijing, Brussels, London, New York, San Diego, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC.