Herbert Smith has announced that former partner Jeremy Xiao has returned as a consultant to the firm. Xiao will work out of the firm’s Beijing office on a part-time basis.

Xiao previously left the firm to take up the role of managing director with Credit Suisse in 2007. Before joining Credit Suisse, he had worked in Herbert Smith for more than 10 years as a partner, including five years as a managing partner of the firm’s Beijing office. Landmark deals he advised on include the multi-billion dollar IPOs of Sinopec, China Construction Bank and ICBC.

He will retain his role in Credit Suisse in addition to his new appointment with Herbert Smith. A source at the firm said that Xiao would focus on supporting the development of the firm’s 20-partner Greater China practice, including helping to strengthen further the top-tier practice’s relationships with a number of China’s leading multinationals.