Stephenson Harwood > Shanghai, China > Firm Profile
Stephenson Harwood Offices
UNITS 901-2 & 910, BUILDING 1, KERRY CENTRE
1515 NANJING WEST ROAD, JINGAN DISTRICT
SHANGHAI 200040
China
Stephenson Harwood > The Legal 500 Rankings
China > Fintech: foreign firms Tier 2
Praised for its ‘strong knowledge in regulatory compliance and fintech mandates’, Stephenson Harwood‘s Hong Kong-based team is a popular destination for banks, virtual banks, money services operators, and other players connected to the fintech space. Practice head Katherine Liu has broad experience extending to crowdfunding, regulatory compliance and employment issues in the fintech sector. Anna Kwong brings her knowledge of international trade finance and commercial banking to bear on a wide range of fintech mandates. Teresa Tsoi is another name to note.Practice head(s):
Katherine Liu
Other key lawyers:
Penelope Shen; Anna Kwong; Teresa Tsoi; James Wong; Anthony Wong; Phoebe Cheng
Testimonials
‘The team has strong knowledge and practice experience in regulatory compliance and fintech mandates.’
‘The partner Katherine Liu is very experienced and sophisticated in legal knowledge and strong commercial sense as well.’
Key clients
Airstar Bank Limited
Airwallex (Hong Kong) Limited
Ant Group Co., Ltd.
China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation Limited
Endowus HK Limited
Futu Securities International (Hong Kong) Limited
Futu Lending Limited
HKT Flexi Limited
OnePlatform Asset Management Limited
PrimeCredit Limited
WeLend Limited
China > Shipping: foreign firms Tier 2
Stephenson Harwood is well-regarded in the fields of both shipping litigation and shipping finance and has further strengthened its offering with the hire of Paul Ho and Shirley Li, both joined from Ince & Co in October 2023. Evangeline Quek is the key name in the China-focused arm of the firm’s maritime law offering. Based in Shanghai, Quek offers significant expertise in shipping arbitration and is well-placed to advise on cross-border matters, having previously managed shipping disputes concerning Singapore, Taiwan, India, England and the Netherlands. Shanghai-based ship financing expert Simone Liu is also key, regularly advising PRC state-owned enterprises.Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Ship financing business is SH’s strong business. It is good at various transaction structures and flexibly dispatches lawyers in various jurisdictions to provide comprehensive legal services.’
‘The service is responsive and the team is able to provide critical solutions.’
‘Evangeline Quek and her team in Shanghai combine all the benefits of an international legal practice with local, Chinese know-how.’
‘Evangeline Quek has an impressive understanding of the Chinese market.’
‘Very good team, the collocation of partners, lawyers and assistants is very reasonable, can provide reasonable price, efficient service, and the cooperation with other teams is also very smooth.’
‘Simone Liu, a partner in the Shanghai office, has a good understanding of Chinese business and the needs of Chinese customers, and can provide professional services and opinions.’
Key clients
China Development Bank
China Development Bank Financial Leasing
Everbright Fortune International Leasing
ICBC Financial Leasing Ltd.
Michharry and Company Nigeria Limited (“MCN”).
The People’s Insurance Co of China (Hong Kong) Ltd
The Export-Import Bank of China
CMB Financial Leasing Ltd.
Pantainer (H.K.) Limited
Panalpina World Transport (Japan) Ltd
Maersk Line
Societe Generale
Work highlights
- Acting for Damco Hong Kong Limited in prosecuting and defending claims in the Hong Kong Court arising from a large fire casualty in a warehouse at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal in Hong Kong.
China > Dispute resolution: Litigation: foreign firms Tier 3
Delivering ‘creative and nimble solutions for complex disputes‘, Stephenson Harwood acts in a range of contentious matters, including corporate, finance, trust, and insolvency and restructuring matters. The team is also able to offer PRC legal advice through its Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with Guangzhou-based Wei Tu Law Firm. In Hong Kong, Ian Childs acts in complex civil litigation; Ivan Ng is an experienced commercial litigator; Jamie Stranger is another disputes expert; and Emily Li is ‘an excellent junior partner‘. Shanghai-based Evangeline Quek specialises in commercial dispute resolution.Practice head(s):
Ian Childs
Other key lawyers:
Ivan Ng; Jamie Stranger; Emily Li; Evangeline Quek; Elizabeth Sloane
Testimonials
‘Stephenson Harwood has unique insights into the global market, leveraging connections in Hong Kong, Mainland China and elsewhere in the world to offer creative and nimble solutions for complex disputes.’
‘Strongly recommended.’
‘An exceptionally strong team.’
‘Elizabeth Sloane, who leads Stephenson Harwood’s marine and international trade team in Hong Kong, is truly exceptional. She brings her experience to bear on the most complex of cases and is a delight to work with.’
‘Ivan Ng is one of the smartest and most pragmatic litigation lawyers in Hong Kong. His knowledge of practice and the market is without equal.’
‘Emily Li is an excellent junior partner who is calm and will plan all the steps to take from the outset. ’
‘Very commercial and practical advice.’
Key clients
Purple Surgical UK
Employees of China Shanshui Investment
United Overseas Bank
Dan Form International
Société Générale
OCBC Wing Hang
OCBC
ICBC
Deloitte
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Bank of East Asia
FTI Consulting
Work highlights
- Acted for over 2,000 employees and minority shareholders of China Shanshui Investment Company in a dispute concerning China Shanshui Cement Group Company.
- Acted for the administrators of the estate of LSK, in relation to the proposed sale of a mansion house.
- Acting for Purple Surgical UK, which in May 2020 entered into a sale and purchase agreement to purchase five million 3M surgical masks (which were allegedly never delivered) from the defendants for $27m.
China > Restructuring and insolvency: foreign firms Tier 3
Stephenson Harwood has a track record handling contentious insolvency cases whilst continuing to expand its restructuring and insolvency advisory services. The team’s expertise lies especially in aviation restructuring and insolvency, but also extends to transportation and trade. The highly regarded Jamie Stranger heads the practice and acts for a diverse roster of clients in corporate and debt restructuring and buy-outs. The team also includes the disputes lawyer Alexander Tang , and the aviation specialist Simon Wong who recently acted for JIC Leasing Co. Ltd in the debt restructuring of Hong Kong Airlines.Practice head(s):
Jamie Stranger
Other key lawyers:
Alexander Tang; Simon Wong
Testimonials
‘Deep knowledge and experience in the team.’
‘Jamie Stranger is excellent and puts the client’s best interests first.’
Key clients
JIC Leasing Co., Ltd – Hong Kong Airlines restructuring
United Overseas Bank Limited – Shimao Group refinancing & restructuring
GT Luxemburg re EZ Land
PwC – CECEP
PwC – Shanghai Huaxin
Madison Pacific – Project Aquarius
Société Générale – Project Sparrow
FTI – Coastal Oil & Yeung
FTI – Days group of companies
FTI – Kaplink group of companies
GT HK – Imperial Entertainment
GT HK – U A Cinema
Finance & Risk Services Limited (Bermuda) – Noble Group Limited (in liquidation)
Finance & Risk Services Limited (Bermuda) – Global Brands Group Holding Limited (in liquidation)
Work highlights
- Advised Madison Pacific on HNA distressed asset sales (European oil storage facilities).
- Advised JIC Leasing Co., Ltd on the UK and HK restructuring of Hong Kong Airlines.
- Advised UOB on the refinancing / restructuring of the Shimao Group.
China > Banking and finance: foreign firms Tier 4
Stephenson Harwood‘s Hong Kong-based banking and finance team is experienced in both transactional and advisory work. Key areas of expertise range from asset finance (including shipping, aviation and real estate) to syndicated lending, structured finance, trade financings, fintech, investment products, and secured and unsecured lending. Katherine Liu heads the Hong Kong office’s finance and financial services group; Elton Chan is a shipping finance and general structured finance expert; and Anna Kwong specialises in international trade finance and commercial banking.Practice head(s):
Katherine Liu
Other key lawyers:
Elton Chan; Anna Kwong; Teresa Tsoi
Testimonials
‘Lots of talented professionals and a high-level service and favourable fee quotes that give SH a significant advantage.’
‘Katherine Liu and Teresa Tsoi always give prompt responses and are highly efficient.’
‘Teresa Tsoi is very talented and has great drafting abilities – her explanations are easy to understand and straightforward, which saves time and improves the level of efficiency.’
‘Teresa Tsoi is appreciated for her logic – she is alway thinking about her clients and finds suitable proposals for them.’
Key clients
Airstar Bank
Airwallex (Hong Kong)
Ant Bank (Hong Kong)
Ant Group Co
Bank of Communications Co
Bank SinoPac Co
BNP Paribas
China Construction Bank
China Construction Bank (Asia) Corporation
China Development Bank
China Minsheng Bank
CIB Leasing
Cinda Leasing
Credit Suisse
CTBC Bank Co
Futu Lending
Futu Securities International (Hong Kong)
Haitong Leasing
HKT Flexi
HSBC
ICBC Financial Leasing Co
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
JPMorgan Chase
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
OCBC Wing Hang Bank
PrimeCredit
Raiffeisen Bank International
Shanghai Pudong Development Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
The Export-Import Bank of China
United Overseas Bank
WeLend
Wells Fargo Bank
Work highlights
- Advised United Overseas Bank on its HK$12.1bn refinancing of Shimao Group’s Kowloon Tong (Hong Kong) residential development.
- Acting for the Hong Kong branches of Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of Dongguan Co, China Bohai Bank Co, China Merchants Bank Co and China Zheshang Bank on PRC onshore guarantee and onshore loans.
China > Investment funds: foreign firms
Hong Kong > Asset finance (including aviation and shipping finance)
Lauded by clients as ‘forward-looking’ and ‘excellent’, Stephenson Harwood draws superlative praise on account of its wide-ranging capabilities in advising a balanced array of stakeholders, including banks, financial institutions, leasing companies, commercial lenders, lessors, airlines, and export credit agencies, on cross-jurisdictional deals across aviation and shipping arenas. The firm’s aviation finance team, one of the largest in Hong Kong, is well-versed in handling the entire spectrum of matters, including financing, leasing, and trading of commercial aircraft and business jets across Hong Kong, the wider APAC region, and Europe. Associates Raina Xian and Louis Ng excel in these areas. Under the leadership of Simon Wong, whose expertise covers aircraft repossession and airline insolvency and rehabilitation, the team has handled a host of defaults and debt restructurings. The firm’s shipping subgroup, co-headed by Hongkai Zhou and Simone Liu, is emblematic of the eclectic nature of the firm’s workflow. In addition to providing advisory and risk mitigation services, the team is frequently involved in cross-border financings and restructuring matters.Practice head(s):
Simon Wong; Hongkai Zhou; Elton Chan
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Professional, dedicated and enthusiastic.’
‘Always maintain professionalism, dedication, enthusiasm and other excellent work attitudes and qualities.’
‘They have an excellent team of lawyers who can handle various kinds of aircraft transactions. They are very responsive, and their advice is sharp and useful.’
‘I am impressed by Simon Wong. He is a great aviation lawyer in Hong Kong. He knows the nature of work and has in-depth knowledge of aviation operation matters in each country.’
‘The partners are hands-on and are willing to spend time on the details of the project, which is amazing.’
‘The SH team is deeply involved in cross-border financial business, has extensive business experience, and is good at handling complex and innovative transactions. The team has solid professional capabilities, can quickly respond to customer needs, and can provide high-quality legal services. It is a forward-looking and excellent team.’
‘Simon Wong is a senior partner in SH’s aviation business. He has extensive practice experience and has participated in various structured aviation transactions, including finance leases, sale and leasebacks, prepayment financing, delivery financing, refinancing and leasehold assets.’
‘Good customer service and very knowledgeable in the industry.’
Key clients
CMB Financial Leasing Co., Ltd.
ICBC Leasing
China Development Bank
The Export-Import Bank of China
CIBL Leasing
JIC Leasing
Stephenson Harwood > Firm Profile
The firm: Stephenson Harwood is a law firm with over 1,300 people worldwide, including more than 190 partners. Our people are committed to achieving the goals of our clients – listed and private companies, institutions and individuals.
The firm offers multilingual and multidisciplinary services from two offices in Greater China. Its lawyers based in Hong Kong and Shanghai have been providing quality English and Hong Kong law advice to clients within and outside Greater China since 1979. The firm’s lawyers also advise on selected aspects of laws of other jurisdictions.
Established in 1979, the Hong Kong office was the first of Stephenson Harwoods’ Greater China offices. However, the firm has a long history of acting as a gateway between East and West, starting in 1867 when one of the firm’s founders William Harwood opened an office in Shanghai. The firm was one of the first UK firms to open in Hong Kong and then mainland China (PRC). We are celebrating our 40 years anniversary in 2019.
Stephenson Harwood’s Greater China offices offer a comprehensive spectrum of its global services including finance, corporate, dispute resolution and private wealth. Working hand-in-hand with our regional offices and associations in Guangzhou, Jakarta, Seoul, Singapore and other parts of Asia, the firm is able to provide a comprehensive Asian law service to clients operating within Asia.
In 2016, Stephenson Harwood entered into a CEPA association under the name ‘Stephenson Harwood – Wei Tu (China) Association’ with independent PRC law firm Wei Tu. CEPA (Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement) is a free-trade agreement concluded between PRC and Hong Kong. Under CEPA, Hong Kong-law firms are permitted to operate in association with PRC law firms to provide comprehensive legal services in PRC governed by PRC and non-PRC laws. The association allows Stephenson Harwood to offer a ‘one-stop service’ for Hong Kong, English and PRC law advice, with Wei Tu providing the PRC advice.
The Shanghai office has a particular focus on ship finance, marine and international trade. It is one of the few international law firms with a base in mainland China and a truly international shipping practice. The team is able to advise on cross-border shipping matters, drawing closely on the expertise of colleagues based in Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, Dubai, Paris, Piraeus and the United Kingdom. Our dedicated lawyers represent Chinese corporates, international banks, insurance companies, shipping, shipbuilding and trading companies.
The depth and importance of the firms relationships with our clients and our common sense approach to achieving results allow Stephenson Harwood to become your trusted advisor.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Asset finance: shipping | Simone Liu | ||
Dispute resolution | Evangeline Quek | ||
Marine & International Trade | Evangeline Quek |
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Paul Ho | Partner | View Profile | |
Lijuan Hou | Of counsel | View Profile | |
Shirley Li | Of counsel | View Profile | |
Simone Liu | Partner | View Profile | |
Evangeline Quek | Office managing partner Greater China | View Profile | |
Yong Ren | Registered foreign lawyer (New York) partner Stephenson Harwood LLP London | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 500+ Greater China : 70+Languages
English Chinese (Mandarin) Cantonese Shanghainese Fujianese MalayOther
Contacts : Evangeline Quek (Office managing partner, Greater China) Contacts : Simone Liu (Partner)Comparative Guides
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