The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a second tier firm,

Hogan Lovells is certainly ‘knocking on doors’ with genuine credibility in leveraged and acquisition finance, structured lending, and its ability to successfully target the major PRC banks. The firm recently acted for CITIC Bank on the financing of the acquisition and delisting from the NYSE of Tongjitang Chinese Medical by Tonsun International. Gary Hamp is a recognised leader in leveraged finance, and Owen Chan has played an integral role in developing the firm’s PRC bank connections. Clients commend the partners’ ‘business acumen’ and ‘industry knowledge’.

Within Capital markets (debt), tier 4

With the transfer of Philip Hyde from Tokyo to Hong Kong, Hogan Lovells’ debt practice has gained credibility, both in straight debt and structured finance. Deals include RMB, convertible and high-yield bonds.

Within Capital markets (equity), Hogan Lovells International LLP is a third tier firm,

Hogan Lovells is working with an ever greater number of key banks, including UBS, Deutsche Bank, Macquarie, DBS and Morgan Stanley, but has increasing proportion of issuer mandates. It naturally inhabits the mid-market space, with a notable record in real estate, technology, natural resources and infrastructure. Clients highlight the firm’s willingness to ‘devote resources’ to a transaction including ‘partner time’. Key partners include the prominent Jamie Barr and Terence Lau, who is ‘very responsive’ and ‘hands-on’.

Within Construction, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a second tier firm,

Hogan Lovells offers ‘vast analytical approach, prompt response times and value for money, which are beyond comparable to other firms in the market’. While the firm has a strong litigation practice, it also has a growing non-contentious workload, where it is the primary legal adviser to the Construction Industry Council and continues to act for MTR Corporation. Timothy Hill and Damon So are the key partners to note; both are ‘very efficient lawyers, with a strong foot in construction-related matters’.

Within Corporate (including M&A), tier 4

Though heavily focused on IPOs, Hogan Lovells’ corporate practice features a healthy flow of M&A instructions, principally in the mid-market arena. This included acting for Hong Kong-listed Mascotte Holdings on its acquisition of a majority stake in Sun Materials Technology. Jamie Barr is the lead partner.

Within Dispute resolution, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a second tier firm,

Hogan Lovells has one of the largest dispute resolution teams in Hong Kong and has experienced a dramatic increase in financial institutions litigation (including the Lehman minibonds litigation) and regulatory investigations work. Beyond this, the firm has a burgeoning practice in shareholder disputes, fraud, and insolvency litigation. Clients highlight the firm’s understanding of ‘commercial objectives’ and ‘punctual responses’. Financial institutions and regulatory expert Mark Lin is commended for his industry knowledge, Chinese language skills, ‘pragmatic approach’, and willingness to ‘manage expectations’. The ‘practical’ and ‘prompt’ Chris Dobby is feted for his insolvency litigation expertise, while Allan Leung remains the firm’s senior litigator.

Within Employment, tier 4

‘The response times, knowledge and level of advice is always very good’ at Hogan Lovells, which handles both contentious and non-contentious matters. Tim Fletcher is recommended.

Within Insurance Other recommended firms

Within Intellectual property, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Excellent in all areas of IP’, Hogan Lovells is praised for its response times, ‘very good advice’ and ‘sound knowledge of the law’. The firm is highly regarded for portfolio management and patent work, but is also strong in brand enforcement, where it continues to advise longstanding clients Nintendo, adidas and Jack Daniel’s. In 2011, the firm further expanded its client base, through gaining management of Caterpillar’s Asia-wide IP portfolio. Noteworthy practitioners include Henry Wheare (‘he has an excellent legal brain and is commercial and practical in his advice’) and Gabriela Kennedy (‘friendly and client-orientated’).

Within Real estate, tier 4

Hogan Lovells handles a range of real estate matters involving finance, acquisitions and property litigation. The team continues to advise longstanding client MTR Corporation on a number of Hong Kong projects, and also recently represented ANZ on a $263m property financing. Consultant Jason Choi, formerly a partner of Mayer Brown JSM, is recommended.

Within Regulatory, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a second tier firm,

The ‘very professional and responsive’ team at Hogan Lovells is known for its contentious expertise, where litigator Mark Lin is ‘very knowledgeable of the securities brokerage industry’ and displays an ‘ability and willingness to provide practical advice’. Lin continues to advise an insurance company on a regulatory investigation, and is also acting for a director of a European bank currently being investigated by Korean regulators for unfair trading. Tim Fletcher handles compliance, SFC licence application, product structuring and regulatory elements of corporate transactions.

Within Restructuring and insolvency, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a first tier firm,

A ‘standout firm in Hong Kong’, Hogan Lovells fields a strong team of practitioners, who are ‘all good at what they do’. Post-merger, the firm has substantial international presence, and advises financial institutions, hedge funds, private equity firms and others on the insolvency and restructuring of distressed companies. With a ‘depth of experience’, Neil McDonald ‘negotiates well’, and advised the founding shareholders of Chinese retail chain GOME on the largest-ever public company shareholder dispute in China. McDonald also led in advising a consortium, including Goldman Sachs and KPMG, on the restructuring of the $100m debts of Metalform group; the restructured business was sold to an affiliate of KKR in October 2010. Kelly Naphtali is recommended.

Within TMT, Hogan Lovells International LLP is a second tier firm,

Hogan Lovells ‘exceeds in its professionalism’ and handles transactional, contentious and regulatory TMT matters. The department is anchored by the ‘sharp and decisive’ Gabriela Kennedy, who recently represented TVB in a case concerning defamatory statements made by ATV and two individuals regarding television rating results commissioned by TVB. On the non-contentious side, the team is advising Skype on telecoms regulatory issues in China. Other clients include Facebook, Microsoft and The Airport Authority of Hong Kong.