DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary's growth in Asia has continued unabated with two more senior hires. Gigi Cheah and Justin Davidson have joined the transatlantic firm as partners to head its Information Technology/Intellectual Property team in Asia.

Cheah is a former Asia-Pacific legal director at 3Com and partner at other firms. Advising on the legal, regulatory and commercial aspects of technology, media/ entertainment and communications deals in Asia, she has a key specialisation in largescale outsourcing projects.

Davidson advises both multinational and Asian businesses on a wide range of intellectual property and technology law issues. Assisting clients in protecting and exploiting their IP portfolios, his practice is increasingly focused on patent litigation in China. He also advises on the IP aspects of acquisitions, spin offs, joint ventures and IPOs.

DLA Piper's managing director for Asia, Nick Seddon, said: "The IT sector across Asia is showing signs of a return to growth. Corporates are investing more in IT and outsourcing is taking firmer hold not only in the west but also across Asia. Consumer electronics is going through a new wave of functionality, cheaper pricing and development of form factors with the likes of personal Playstations, better LCDs and mobile chipsets. And in another positive sign, mobile operators are more confidently moving into 3G."

He added: "Growing awareness of the rights associated with intellectual property across Asia, the globalisation trend which is bringing more multinationals to the region and the borderless nature of the internet and e-commerce is driving strong demand for IP legal services."

The additions of Cheah and Davidson follow the recent hiring of insolvency and debt expert Lampros Vassiliou, a consultant for the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the OECD.

Earlier this month in Bangkok, the firm also recruited a six-lawyer telecoms team from Coudert Brothers, headed up by partners Chanvitaya Suvarnapunya and Chatchai Inthasuwan.

And in March, DLA Piper lured to its Hong Kong projects group energy projects expert John Yeap - a former senior manager and corporate counsel from China Light & Power, the largest investor-owned power company in Asia, ex-Japan.

Meanwhile, in London, DLA Piper this month completed the largest acquisition in the history of the UK legal sector with the acquisition of 11 partners, 18 lawyers, four trainees and 12 support staff from the media and IP team at Denton Wilde Sapte.