The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Hong Kong > TMT

The 'terrific' multi-disciplinary team at Bird & Bird is 'very knowledgeable in the TMT space', and combines subject matter expertise with the substantive law knowledge to effectively resource matters across the panoply of corporate, commercial, regulatory and litigation matters. 'Excellent' team head Michelle Chan has vast experience across the sector from a corporate/commercial and regulatory perspective; she has been particularly active of late advising across a range of disruptive technologies, including the legal issues associated with big data and fintech, including online payment services and Internet of Things. Recently promoted to counsel, Clarice Yue spearheads the office's data privacy practice and has advised clients from a range of industries on the implications of the EU's General Data Protection Rules (GDPR) and in relation to China's recently passed China Cyber Security law.

Benefiting from the resources available to it as a global firm, and also deeply entrenched in the local market, Hogan Lovells is well-placed to represent international and regional entities in the TMT space across a broad swathe of regulatory, corporate and commercial mandates. 'Standout lawyer' Mark Parsons has 'real credibility in the space' across a range of matters, including as it relates to technology outsourcing and market entry for new technologies and services. Led out of Hong Kong by Parsons and implementing a cross-disciplinary offering across international offices on certain projects, the firm continues to handle a significant volume of work for leading Chinese technology company, Tencent. Recent work for it has included the roll out its Midas platform (its online marketplace offering) in various countries across the Asia Pacific region including India, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Now based out of Hong Kong, following his recent relocation from the Shanghai office, Andrew McGinty bolsters the team's capabilities in relation to corporate/M&A and commercial work within the TMT space, particularly on China-related mandates.

Engaged in discrete Hong Kong-based mandates, as well as forming an integral part of the firm's broader international offering, Baker McKenzie's four-partner multi-disciplinary team has an excellent reputation on behalf of users and producers of technology across the gamut of matters affecting their businesses. As part of his wide-ranging commercial and regulatory expertise in the TMT space (work which includes commercial contracts drafting for cloud services providers and assisting clients to establish e-commerce platforms in Asia), Paolo Sbuttoni has been at the cutting edge of developments in the sector, including in relation to disruptive technologies including fintech and AI; his recent work has included a considerable amount of data privacy-related work related to blockchain. Corporate partner Nancy Leigh has a focus on handling M&A mandates and commercial contracts work within the sector.

With two-partners focused on TMT matters out of Hong Kong and able to draw upon the expertise of practitioners spread throughout the firm's international network, DLA Piper is able to effectively guide global companies on cutting-edge technology matters, from a commercial, regulatory and corporate perspective. At the vanguard of developments in the fast-moving space, the firm is best known for its ability to assist clients on the use, commercialisation and adoption of novel and disruptive technologies that challenge existing business models and regulatory frameworks. Himself benefiting from a computer science background, team head Scott Thiel has excellent insight into the often highly technical subject matter surrounding many of the deals; he has recently handled numerous high-profile matters for Chinese personal financial services provider, Ping An, including advising it on its successful bid to deliver a blockchain-based trade finance technology platform for Hong Kong Interbank Clearing and helping it to secure a virtual banking license in Hong Kong.

Benefiting from in-depth sectoral knowledge, as well as the ability to draw upon the expertise of lawyers from across the litigation, corporate and IP practice areas, the 'knowledgeable, responsive and thoughtful' team at King & Wood Mallesons is well-placed to handle work for telecoms and IT-related clients, in particular, across the spectrum of their legal needs. Neil Carabine  has an excellent track record advising on telecoms-related M&A matters and has vast knowledge of the unique regulatory issues which arise in this context. Peter Bullock handles work across the IT and telecoms sectors from regulatory compliance and litigation perspectives. He is particularly adept at advising on cyber risk and data protection issues, as well as on fintech-related matters.

Mayer Brown provides an 'extremely resourceful service' to clients in the TMT sector, from complex M&A and outsourcing projects to IT agreements and licensing issues. 'Extremely responsive' team head Gabriela Kennedy provides a compelling mix of IP, regulatory and commercial expertise, enabling her to provide a one-stop shop service to clients across the spectrum of  TMT issues impacting their businesses. Kennedy is abreast of many of the most cutting-edge issues within the sector and provides 'clear and sharp advice' to fintech clients involving issues around digital and mobile wallets, and emerging payment technologies. The team has also been active advising clients on data protection issues from a compliance perspective, as well as following a breach.

Morrison & Foerster has 'significant depth of knowledge and experience' across the gamut of operational and transactional matters affecting clients in the sector. Leveraging the firm's strong technology pedigree in the US, the team is regularly instructed to provide support to US tech clients looking to expand into Greater China. Praised for his 'excellent industry and technical knowledge', team head Gordon Milner 'is highly familiar with vendor contracts and general industry accepted terms and conditions'. As well as standalone mandates, Milner also regularly provides TMT input on the firm's venture capital and private equity mandates in the sector, including on high-profile mandates for Softbank and Alibaba

Led out of Hong Kong by Anna Gamvros and able to leverage deep experience from mainland China and Singapore (as well as from the firm's wider international network), Norton Rose Fulbright's full-service TMT offering is well-positioned to advise clients across the patchwork of domestic and cross-border advisory, regulatory, transactional and M&A work in the sector. As well as regularly advising clients on outsourcing and cloud arrangements, Gamvros has successfully cultivated a market-leading data protection and cybersecurity practice, both from a compliance perspective as well as in relation to breach response work. Since her arrival at the end of 2017 from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Etelka Bogardi has added an extra dimension to the team's offering, particularly on fintech-related matters, including blockchain assisted payment systems, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency exchanges.

Leveraging the firm's market-leading private equity offering, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is regularly at the forefront of the most significant TMT-related M&A mandates in the market. Jeanette Chan handles a considerable amount of transactional work for China-based tech conglomerate Tencent, including on its recent acquisition of a majority stake in Grinding Gear Games, the New Zealand-based gaming company that developed the popular online role-playing game, Path of Exile.

Co-headed by IP partner Charmaine Koo and corporate partner Machiuanna Chu, Deacons' technology practice handles a broad range of contentious and non-contentious matters for clients in the sector, including as it relates to M&A, commercial contracts, and data privacy.

With practitioners on the ground in Hong Kong, and benefiting from a strong presence in mainland China, Simmons & Simmons provides a coordinated service to international and Chinese TMT companies, as well as to strategic and financial investors engaged in corporate activity in the sector. Team head Jingyuan Shi is at the forefront of the most significant mandates handled by the team, and as well as private equity-related M&A in the sector, is also active on behalf of start-ups seeking financing. The arrival of Michelle Ta from Baker McKenzie's Melbourne office in February 2019 bolsters the team's credibility on the ICT front, in light of her extensive data protection, outsourcing, technology commercialisation and transactional IP expertise.