What we say about the firm's legal practice in Hong Kong
Banking and finance
Within Banking and finance, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a third tier firm,
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has a premier private equity sponsor-driven leveraged finance practice. Sinead O’Shea, who is familiar with both English and New York law structures, runs an ‘extremely effective’ and ‘very high-quality’ team, and ‘knows exactly’ what clients are looking for. Even where another firm is advising on the acquisition or investment, her team is often mandated to handle the financing side.
Capital markets (equity)
Within Capital markets (equity), Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a third tier firm,
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP took dramatic strides forward in 2010, by hiring Christopher Wong and Celia Lam from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters respectively to establish a Hong Kong law practice. Alongside eminent US partner Leiming Chen, this is a team to be reckoned with. Historically, the firm has concentrated on SEC registered listings by PRC corporates and has an impressive market share of these deals.
Corporate (including M&A)
Within Corporate (including M&A), tier 4
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP’s corporate practice was dramatically enhanced by the arrival of Christopher Wong and Celia Lam from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Linklaters respectively to establish a Hong Kong law practice in 2010. Historically, much of the practice has centred on private equity for cornerstone clients such as Blackstone and KKR as well as locally generated clients including CDH Investments. The firm is now regularly engaged in strategic M&A on behalf of private equity portfolio companies.
Investment funds
Within Investment funds, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a first tier firm,
‘One of the top players in private equity funds’, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP benefits from its strong relationships with US private equity firms KKR and Blackstone. The team is led by ‘excellent lawyer’ Philip Culhane, who has a superb reputation for private equity fund work. Culhane advised four principals of Bank of America Merrill Lynch regarding the formation of new asset manager and fund, NewQuest Asia Fund I, and also acted for New Horizon ChinaCapital III, with a final close of $750m. Clients include Temasek, Advantage Partners and China Investment Corporation.
Legal market overview
Within Legal market overview,
As one of the world’s premier financial centres, and arguably the most active at present, Hong Kong has become a market of intense focus for the international legal profession. While many local and international firms have increased their resources in the special administrative region (SAR), it is US firms that have surprised the market with a sequence of headline lateral hires. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, Kirkland & Ellis International LLP, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy have all hired elite names, principally from the Magic Circle and elite UK-based firms.
Private equity
Within Private equity, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is a second tier firm,
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acts for cornerstone clients such as Blackstone, KKR and CDH Investments. The firm has completed a series of deals for Blackstone in India. Private equity specialist Kathryn King Sudol (‘incredibly responsive’, ‘solid’, ‘commercial’, ‘constructive’) transferred to Hong Kong from New York in 2010. The team also benefits from the presence of leveraged finance specialist Sinead O’Shea in Hong Kong.