Firm Profile > Latham & Watkins LLP > Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Capital markets (equity) Tier 1

Latham & Watkins LLP’s Greater China capital markets practice advises on both issuers and underwriters on US and Hong Kong listings. Working closely with its banking practice, the firm is in a good position to advise on equity products, and debt and equity-linked products, as well as securities regulations. Head of practice Cathy Yeung has over 20 years’ experience in high-profile IPOs. Benjamin Su handles US IPO mandates in the fintech, big data, online brokerage, healthcare and cloud education sectors. Allen Wang is recommended for China-focused IPOs, high-yield bonds, investment grade debt and convertibles.

Banking and finance Tier 2

Latham & Watkins LLP’s broad practice acts for both lenders and sponsors on complex finance transactions across Asia. With the ability to provide US, English, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japanese law advice, the firm is well-placed to handle multi-jurisdictional matters for international clients. The team is well-regarded for syndicated lending transactions, leveraged lending and leveraged recapitalisation transactions, mezzanine facilities and structured note and private placement transactions. Key practitioner Gary Hamp is noted for his expertise in leveraged and acquisition finance. Howard Lam is recommended for China-related financing transactions. Timothy Hia heads the team from Singapore. Manas Chandrashekar left for Kirkland & Ellis.

Capital markets (debt) Tier 2

Latham & Watkins LLP  offers Hong Kong, US and English law advice to issuers and managers on innovative transactions. It is well-versed in including investment grade bonds, convertible bonds, high-yield, private placements, establishment of and updates to global medium term programs. The team leverages mandates in a plethora of industries, including financial institutions, fintech, education, technology, medical and healthcare, retail and consumer products, industrials and manufacturing, and public utilities. Practice head Ji Liu is a native Chinese speaker and is US-qualified, he advises both issuers and underwriters. Tracy Edmonson jointly heads the practice.

Corporate (including M&A) Tier 2

Latham & Watkins LLP handles Greater China outbound and inbound acquisitions, with vast experience across negotiated and contested M&A matters in a wide variety of contexts. It is well-versed in acquisitions and dispositions in a broad range of industries, including those which are highly regulated and globally diverse. The team draws on expertise from its capital markets and banking and finance practices to offer a cohesive multidisciplinary approach to corporate transactions. Group head Simon Cooke focuses on private equity and M&A deals across the Asia-pacific region.

Dispute resolution: international arbitration Tier 2

Latham & Watkins LLP's practice, led by the 'excellent arbitration practitioner' Ing Loong Yang, houses a 'diligent' team, which successfully represented Pegatron Corporation in an arbitration against a Swiss and a Canadian company regarding a dispute over the design and manufacture of a commercial product. Associates Tina Wang, Sam Wong and Andrew Halliwell are other key names.

Private equity Tier 2

Led by Simon Cooke, Latham & Watkins LLP continues to make headway in the market, with the 'youthful and hungry team' generating significant deal flow on behalf of local sponsors, including MBK Partners and CITIC Capital, as well as for the firm's strong base of blue-chip international funds, including Warburg Pincus and the Carlyle Group. With expertise on the corporate, finance, and regulatory fronts, and benefiting from lawyers with Hong Kong, UK, and US qualifications, the team is able to provide a one-stop-shop service to sponsors throughout their lifecycle. Native Mandarin speaker Frank Sun excels in advising private equity clients on complex inbound and outbound China deals, including his recent high-profile work for CITIC Capital, as part of a consortium, in relation to the take private of US-listed Chinese company, China Biologic Products Holdings. Amy Beckingham is recommended for her work on both the buy and sell-side, across a range of industries, including real estate and fintech.

Restructuring and insolvency Tier 2

With Hong Kong-based lawyers who are able to provide domestic, UK and US law advice, as well as being able to leverage the firm's impressive international footprint, Latham & Watkins LLP excels at providing 'high-quality and commercial advice' to debtor and creditor stakeholders engaged in high-profile regional restructuring/insolvency situations. Bilingual speaking partner, Howard Lam, regularly handles China-related restructurings as part of his broad-ranging financing practice for both debtors, banks, and funds. The team is also noted for its 'excellent bondholder credentials', an area that US- qualified partner Josef Athanas is able to add particular value in relation to US-governed financing documents and US restructuring techniques.

Structured finance and securitisation Tier 2

The derivatives and structured products team at Latham & Watkins LLP count leading investment banks and corporates amongst its clients. It handles the full gamut of OTC and exchange-traded derivative products and advises on non-contentious financial services regulatory matters. Other areas of focus include margin finance, equity-linked related products, and innovative structured finance products. The firm leverages its global platform to handle transactions across Asia that are governed by New York, English, Hong Kong, and Singapore laws. Head of team Posit Laohaphan is experienced in leading cross-border and cross-practice teams, and specialises in derivatives and structured products transactions that relate to US securities in Asia.

Projects and energy Tier 3

David Blumental heads up the team at Latham & Watkins LLP which acts for international energy entities and investment companies in multi-national, high-value acquisitions and investments, most recently in the oil and gas, solar, wind, and LNG power sectors.

Regulatory Tier 4

Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 5

The team at Latham & Watkins LLP is led by Hui Xu, who operates out of the firm's Beijing office. The group counts competition disputes, commercial litigation, fraud and contentious insolvency work among its areas of expertise. Regulatory expert Catherine McBride is a name to note. Catherine Palmer retired from full practice in March 2020.

Philippines > Foreign firms Tier 1

Latham & Watkins LLP has a strong track record of advising on some of the largest transactions in the Philippine market. Particularly active in capital markets, projects and M&A, the group stands out for its work in the energy and infrastructure sector, advising many of the largest lenders to the sector on a range of financing matters. Benjamin Carale leads on many of the firm's biggest transactions from Hong Kong; he recently co-led the team which advised San Miguel corporation on its $2.15bn acquisition of a controlling stake in Holcim Philippines. From the Tokyo office, Michael J Yoshii acts for lenders looking to finance large energy projects. Mark Cooper  arrived from Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee in April 2020 to further add to the firm's expertise in the infrastructure sector.

China > Insolvency and restructuring; foreign firms Tier 2

Led from Hong Kong by Josef Athanas and Howard Lam,  Latham & Watkins LLP has a strong following among banks, IPs and funds as stakeholders in China-related distressed situations across a range of industry sectors. Athanas' ability to provide US law advice is an attractive proposition to creditors and debtors in certain scenarios and enables the team to provide the flexibility to advise on Chapter 11 and Chapter 15 proceedings, should the need arise. Lam has vast experience advising Chinese clients, on both the creditor and debtor side, across restructuring, special situations and formal insolvency procedures and is aided in his ability to effectively work on such matters by his fluent Chinese language skills.

South Korea > Corporate and M&A: foreign firms Tier 3

Latham & Watkins LLP's foreign legal consultancy office in Seoul complements a dedicated Korea practice, which consists of lawyers throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe and the US. The global corporate team has a particular focus on cross-border M&A involving Korean parties, and regularly works collaboratively across offices and practice groups to advise clients on their investment and divestment activities, as well as assisting international clients with their inbound activities. Tracy Edmonson heads up the Asia-wide corporate team from the Hong Kong office. Wonsuk (Steve) Kang splits his time between the Hong Kong and Seoul offices. He has led on many landmark, multibillion-dollar acquisitions and joint ventures in the technology and financial services industries.

China > Projects and energy: foreign firms Tier 3

Latham & Watkins LLP's energy and natural resources team is able to draw on expertise and resources from the firm's practices in M&A, acquisition and leveraged finance, project development and finance, litigation, and environment, land and resources. It was recently particularly active in relation to clean and renewable energy, energy storage and LNG projects, as well as transactions that are driven by China’s One Belt, One Road initiative. Hong Kong-based global co-chair of the firm’s oil and gas industry group, David Blumental spearheads the firm’s energy, natural resources, utilities and chemicals business in the Asia Pacific region.

China > Banking and finance: foreign firms Tier 4

Frequently working alongside its private equity, capital markets, derivatives and M&A practices, Latham & Watkins LLP's Greater China banking and finance group acts for both lenders and borrowers on finance transactions in Asia, including syndicated lending, acquisition financing, leveraged lending and recapitalisations, mezzanine facilities, and structured note and private placement transactions. The Hong Kong names to note are Gary Hamp, Howard Lam and Manas Chandrashekar, while Singapore-based Timothy Hia is the local chair of the firm's Asia finance department.

China > Private equity: foreign firms Tier 4

Latham & Watkins LLP's Greater China PE practice has significant relationships with active regional and global PE participants. The team advises across multiple stages of investment, including acquisitions, growth and early stage investments, financing and exits, among others. Simon Cooke heads the private equity practice in Asia from the Hong Kong office, which also fields experienced partners Amy Beckingham and Frank Sun.