International law firm Crowell & Moring has expanded its international trade practice by adding four senior lawyers to its Los Angeles and Washington offices. Partners Nicole Simonian (pictured) and Evan Yee-Fan Chuck, senior counsel Robert Clifton Burns and counsel Jackson Pai all join from Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner.

The team will bolster the firm’s ability to help companies structure and manage business operations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. They have worked together for more than two decades, providing advice to foreign businesses that face complex regulatory issues such as complying with anti-trust laws and securing approval from the committee on foreign investment in the United States (CFIUS).

Simonian, who served as co-chair of Bryan Cave’s international trade group and head of its Asia practice, will co-chair Crowell & Moring’s international trade group, together with John Brew. She will also serve as the firm’s international employment and global mobility lead.

Chuck, who most recently led Bryan Cave’s China practice, will become head of the firm’s Asia practice.

Simonian, Chuck, and Pai join the firm’s Los Angeles office while Burns will reside in the Washington office.

Their move comes on the heels of former Bryan Cave partner David Stepp joining the firm in August last year.

“We are thrilled to welcome this diverse group of top flight lawyers at a time when international trade issues, particularly in China, are of paramount importance to our clients. Our new team has in-depth knowledge about how best to help clients move goods, services, and people across borders in today’s challenging global trade climate,” says Philip Inglima, chair of Crowell & Moring LLP. “Their collective skill set will expand our capabilities and provide clients with the highest level of service to address their global corporate and supply chain needs.”

In other news, Crowell & Moring International (CMI), the firm’s global policy and regulatory affairs consulting affiliate, is launching an office in Shanghai with seven trade, transactions, and tax professionals to support global businesses facing cross-border transactional, investigative, policy and regulatory needs. The names of the new joiners have not yet been released, but the firm says that they have worked with Simonian, Chuck, and Stepp since 2005. This new Shanghai presence  builds on CMI’s more than 30 years of experience advising global businesses operating in the Asia Pacific.