Morgan, Lewis & Bockius > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Firm Profile
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Offices
UNIT 2001, LEVEL 20, ONE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CENTRE, 1 HARBOUR VIEW STREET
CENTRAL
HONG KONG
Hong Kong
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius > The Legal 500 Rankings
Hong Kong > Capital markets (equity) Tier 3
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has carved out a successful practice acting as company side counsel throughout the life-cycle of ECM mandates, from initial listings, through to post-IPO matters and advice across a range of work for the subsequently listed companies. Although the firm is active across a range of industry sectors, it has gained most traction advising education sector issuers on Hong Kong-based IPOs, as well as frequently on their concurrent global placements. Team head Edwin Luk has a strong reputation in the market and has been pivotal to the firm’s success in the education sector.Practice head(s):
Edwin Luk
Other key lawyers:
June Chan; Keith Cheung; Billy Wong
Key clients
BetterLife Holding Limited
China General Education Group Limited
South China Vocational Education Group Company Limited
CCB International Capital Limited
LHN Limited
He Sheng Overseas Holdings Limited
GIC
China Distance Education
CMMB Vision Holdings Limited
Minsheng Education Group Company Limited
Health and Happiness (H&H) International Holdings Limited
Kinetic Development Group Limited
Impro Precision Industries Limited
Work highlights
- Represented BetterLife Holding Limited on its $85m IPO listing on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong with concurrent global placement pursuant to Regulation S.
- Represented China General Education Group Limited on its $59.4m IPO listing on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong with concurrent global placement pursuant to Regulation S.
- Represented South China Vocational Education Group Company Limited on its $68.4m IPO listing on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong with concurrent global placement pursuant to Regulation S.
Hong Kong > Corporate (including M&A) Tier 4
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius specialises in advising sovereign wealth and private equity funds on transactions, and acts for both Chinese and international clients. The team handles deals involving companies based in Hong Kong and Mainland China, and its work for Chinese clients also includes outbound investments. Maurice Hoo and Edwin Luk jointly lead the practice; Hoo acts on a broad range of transactions, with a particular focus on the technology sector, while Luk serves as the firm’s global head of corporate and securities.Practice head(s):
Maurice Hoo; Edwin Luk
Testimonials
‘The team is experienced, meticulous 24/7 and focused on my best position always.’
‘Maurice Hoo is 100% focused on our success, protection and representation in every way.’
Key clients
Silk Road Fund
Sequoia Capital
GIC
China Distance Education
Warburg Pincus
Lake Bleu Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Silk Road Fund, a sovereign investment fund in China, on its participation in an EIG lead global investor consortium’s acquisition of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company from Saudi Arabian Oil Co.(“Aramco”) for US$12.4 billion.
- Advised Sequoia Capital in its Minority Investment in SSENSE, the first round of external funding in the company’s 18-year history, giving the company a post-money enterprise value of more than CAD$5 billion.
- Advised Velvet Investment Pte. Ltd (GIC) in connection with the going-private transaction of Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG).
Hong Kong > Private equity Tier 4
The dedicated private equity team at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius is led by Maurice Hoo and provides transactional advice in connection with global and regional funds, including buyouts, investment, restructuring and divestment deals, leveraging a strong capital markets practice. The firm prides itself on developing a reputable client base from scratch based on its unique regional expertise in large transactions.Practice head(s):
Maurice Hoo
Other key lawyers:
Ning Zhang
Testimonials
‘They can quickly grasp the client’s needs and structure the documents in a way that best protects the clients.’
‘They are very patient in hearing out to client’s story, worries and needs.’
‘They have very quick turnover in terms of drafting and approving of legal documents.’
‘Maurice Hoo is a fantastic person to work with.’
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Warburg Pincus
GIC
Boehringer Ingelheim
Meten International Education Group
China Distance Education
Silk Road Fund
Lake Bleu Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Velvet Investment Pte. Ltd (GIC) in connection with the going-private transaction of Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG).
- Advised Silk Road Fund, a sovereign investment fund in China, on its participation in an EIG lead global investor consortium’s acquisition of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company from Saudi Arabian Oil Co. for $12.4bn.
- Represented China Distance Education in its US$308 million going-private transaction led by the buyer group of CEO and co-founder Zhengdong Zhu, co-founder Baohong Yin, and their affiliated entity.
China > TMT: foreign firms Tier 3
Housing TMT specialists from offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius’ broad practice routinely acts for major technology sector players, along with investment funds and financial institutions that are active in the TMT sector. In Hong Kong, Maurice Hoo, who is highly focused on technology companies that conduct business in Asia (particularly China), is experienced in advising private equity and venture capital investors, along with multinationals and strategic investors; and Edwin Luk's sector expertise covers technology media and telecoms companies.
Other key lawyers:
China > Corporate and M&A: foreign firms
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s corporate group is engaged by private equity houses and sovereign wealth funds to advise on investments into Chinese businesses, as well as the PRC aspects of complex multi-jurisdictional deals. The group also has an active domestic M&A practice, which includes acting for the buy and sell-sides of take-privates. Ning Zhang is a key name to note, working between Beijing and Hong Kong, while Alex Wang is noted for his work in private equity.Practice head(s):
Ning Zhang; Alex Wang
Testimonials
‘What really impressed me was the quality and speed of response and their ability to provide practical advice which is really important to me as a general counsel. They provided the best level of responsiveness I have had to date from a law firm. The collaboration they provided with all of our team members was also very helpful and they were able to work well with our business people. Billing is also very prompt. It has been a long time since I have experienced such excellent customer service from a law firm. I cannot recommend them enough.’
‘Alex Wang’s responsiveness is incredible as well as his perfect bi-lingual skills. However, it is not just that the reponse is so timely but so clear. The quality and level of service provided by Alex Wang is the best I have encountered in my career.’
Key clients
Silk Road Fund
Sequoia Capital
GIC
China Distance Education
Warburg Pincus
Lake Bleu Capital
Work highlights
- Advised the Silk Road Fund, a sovereign investment fund in China, on its participation in an EIG lead global investor consortium’s acquisition of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company from Saudi Arabian Oil Co.(“Aramco”) for US$12.4 billion. This transaction is one of the largest energy infrastructure transactions globally.
- Advised Sequoia Capital in its Minority Investment in SSENSE, the first round of external funding in the company’s 18-year history, giving the company a post-money enterprise value of more than CAD$5 billion.
- Advised Velvet Investment Pte. Ltd (GIC) in connection with the going-private transaction of Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG).
China > Private equity: foreign firms
Consistently acting for global and regional private equity firms on major private equity deals, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s Greater China practice is highly active in relation to buyout, investment, restructuring and divestment activities. With longstanding private equity transactional experience, Hong Kong-based Maurice Hoo is particularly focused on the TMT sector, while Ning Zhang, who works from both the Hong Kong and Beijing offices, advises across the private equity asset class and investment management sector. Mainland China-based corporate transactions specialist Alex Wang, is notably focused on private equity, M&A, real estate and TMT.Practice head(s):
Ning Zhang; Maurice Hoo
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Warburg Pincus
GIC
Boehringer Ingelheim
Meten International Education Group
China Distance Education
Silk Road Fund
Lake Bleu Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Velvet Investment Pte on the going-private transaction of Cellular Biomedicine Group.
- Advised Silk Road Fund on its participation in an EIG-led global investor consortium’s acquisition of a 49% stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company from Saudi Arabian Oil Co.
- Advised China Distance Education on its $308m going-private transaction, led by the buyer group of CEO and co-founder Zhengdong Zhu, co-founder Baohong Yin, and their affiliated entity.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius > Firm Profile
The firm: With 30 offices in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Morgan Lewis provides a range of services that fall into four broad categories: corporate, finance and investment management; intellectual property; labour, employment and benefits; and litigation, regulation and investigations. Founded in 1873 in Philadelphia, Morgan Lewis has grown to be a dominant global law firm comprising more than 2,000 professionals, including lawyers, patent agents, employee benefits advisers, regulatory scientists, and other specialists. In January 2017, Morgan Lewis established its *Hong Kong office led by one of Hong Kong’s most respected corporate lawyers. The office has quickly grown to 23 lawyers.
Firm accolades include: 300+ partners recognised, Chambers & Partners, all publications (2017); 250+ partners recognised, The Legal 500, all publications (2017); most recognised for client service, BTI Client Service A-Team (2002-2017), one of only three firms on the list for each of the last 15 years; most recognised by general counsel, BTI Client Brand Elite (2011-2016); most recognised for superior client relationship, Clientopia 24, BTI Power Rankings (2016); shortlisted, International Firm of the Year, The Lawyer (2017); Top 5, Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies, Corporate Counsel (2010-2016); Top 10, Acritas US Law Firm Brand Index (2013-2016), No. 6 (2016); Top 10, Am Law 100, The American Lawyer (2016), Ranked #12 (2015); Top 15, Global 200, The Lawyer (2016); No. 2, Global 100-Largest Revenue Increase, The American Lawyer (2016); Top Three, Largest Firms in the US, Law360 (2016); Most Lateral Growth among Am Law 200 Firms, ALM Lateral Reports (2016); and clients include three-quarters of the Fortune 100 companies, including seven of the Top 10, 15 of the Top 20, and 290 Fortune 500 clients.
Areas of practice: Morgan Lewis provides comprehensive litigation, corporate, finance, restructuring, employment and benefits, and intellectual property services in all major industries, helping clients address and anticipate challenges across vast and rapidly changing landscapes. It has more than 2,000 legal professionals who focus on both immediate and long-term goals with clients, harnessing its resources from strategic hubs of commerce, law and government across Asia, and in Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Specifically, the China practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, securities, regulatory issues, private equity and venture capital transactions, and IP counselling and litigation. In Tokyo, the firm advises Japanese clients on corporate securities, employment, pension, intellectual property and environmental matters. In Singapore, the combined Morgan Lewis Stamford created the first – and thus far the only – fully integrated law firm in Singapore.
With offices in London, Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Almaty, Astana, and an active Latin America practice, Morgan Lewis assists clients with both in-country and cross-border transactions and matters covering corporate, investment funds, tax, labour, intellectual property, antitrust, litigation and real estate issues with particular experience in the energy, financial services, life sciences and technology sectors.
*The Beijing and Shanghai offices operate as representative offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In Hong Kong, Morgan Lewis operates through Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, which is a separate Hong Kong general partnership registered with The Law Society of Hong Kong as a registered foreign law firm operating in association with Luk & Partners.
Main Contacts
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