Morgan, Lewis & Bockius > Hong Kong, Hong Kong > Firm Profile
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Offices
Suites 1902-09, 19th Floor Edinburgh
Tower, The Landmark 15 Queen's Road
Central Hong Kong
Hong Kong
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Morgan, Lewis & Bockius > The Legal 500 Rankings
Hong Kong > Capital markets (equity) Tier 3
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius has established a strong company-side reputation, in particular, on transactions 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. Team head Edwin Luk has been pivotal to the firm’s success building out from its initial flurry of IPO mandates within the education space, to include instructions across a wide range of industry sectors, including industrials and technology.Practice head(s):
Edwin Luk
Other key lawyers:
June Chan; Keith Cheung; Billy Wong
Key clients
Sanergy Group Limited
China Everbright Capital Limited
CMMB Vision Holdings Limited
BetterLife Holding Limited
Kinetic Development Group Limited
Zhongtai International Capital Limited
LHN Limited
Work highlights
- Advised ANTA Sports Products, in its $1.5bn placing of existing shares and top-up subscription of new shares under general mandate.
- Represented BetterLife Holding Limited in the $80m acquisition of YZB Auto Services Group Limited.
- Represented Zhongtai International Capital Limited, as the financial advisor to International Alliance Financial Leasing Co. (recently renamed as Alliance International Education Leasing Holdings Limited), on its $81m acquisition of Yantai Nanshan University.
Hong Kong > Corporate (including M&A) Tier 4
Jointly led by the ‘exceptional’ Maurice Hoo and Edwin Luk, the team at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius leverages its regional network, regularly collaborating with its Shanghai and Beijing offices to assist a varied client roster of global corporations, sovereign wealth funds, and emerging companies. The group boasts strength across a number of industries, including energy, life sciences, and fintech. Hoo is known for his vast expertise in advising strategic and private equity investors on restructurings, divestments, and cross-border M&A, while Luk exhibits deep knowledge of securities regulations.Practice head(s):
Maurice Hoo; Edwin Luk; Ning Zhang; Alex Wang
Other key lawyers:
Colin Au
Testimonials
‘Definitely it’s the calibre of the people in the firm and the confidence they give to clients.’
‘Maurice Hoo and Colin Au are exceptional professionals who are always responsive, insightful and comprehensive in providing advice and solutions.’
‘Diverse, great, strong, diligent, focused and supporting in every way.’
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
GIC
Silk Road Fund
NIO Capital
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
J.S. Held
TAIT Towers
Warburg Pincus
Boehringer Ingelheim
Work highlights
Hong Kong > Private equity Tier 4
The broad team at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius attracts a stellar client roster, notably including Warburg Pincus, Sequoia Capital, and Bank of China International. The practice is recognised for its collective experience in handling a wide variety of issues, including buyouts, dispositions, and add-ons. Maurice Hoo co-heads the practice alongside Beijing’s Ning Zhang. Hoo is known for his longstanding expertise in advising both international and local venture capital and private equity investors on divestments, investments, and cross-border M&A.Practice head(s):
Maurice Hoo; Ning Zhang
Other key lawyers:
Connie Cheung
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Warburg Pincus
GIC
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Meten International Education Group
China Distance Education
Silk Road Fund
Lake Bleu Capital
Bank of China International
Hong Kong > Capital markets (debt)
China > TMT: foreign firms Tier 3
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP advises private equity funds and foreign clients on their China-centric ventures. Maurice Hoo steers the corporate and PE practice in Hong Kong, guiding multinationals through cross-border mergers, restructurings, and investments. Edwin Luk, co-leader of the firm’s capital markets and public companies practice, offers insights on securities regulation and a spectrum of corporate matters. Ning Zhang heads the corporate and PE team in the Beijing office, managing cross-border transactions for both private and public companies.Practice head(s):
Maurice Hoo; Edwin Luk; Shaobin Zhu
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Warburg Pincus
China Distance Education
Kaidi LLC and Changzhou Kaidi Electrical Co., Ltd.
Guangdong Dongtai Metal Goods Co., Ltd.
Eileen Grays, LLC
Shanghai Xiaoi Robot Technology
Hong Kong Beida Jade Bird Display Limited
LandGlass Technology Co., Ltd.
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Work highlights
- Represented longstanding client Sequoia Capital China Advisors Limited (Sequoia Capital) in connection with its US$500 million financing and investment in Amber Global Limited.
China > Labour and employment: foreign firms
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP handles a high number of mandates for clients in relation to mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and contractual drafting, as well as advising on hiring, termination, and workforce reductions. The firm is also recommended for its assistance for multinational companies in navigating Chinese data protection laws and regulations, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the PRC’s own anti-corruption laws. The team is led by the highly experienced Lesli Ligorner, an expert in collective bargaining matters and employment mobility and immigration. Also central to the practice are terminations and non-compete clauses specialist Todd Liao and associate Yuting Zhu. Hong Kong based Charles Mo supports the team. Qian Nie departed the firm in 2022.Practice head(s):
Lesli Ligorner
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Lesli Ligorner and Yuting Zhu provide exceptional employment advice for China, and facilitate great service for other parts of APAC. Quick to respond with commercial and pragmatic advice. ’
‘The Labour and Employment team are excellent – responsive, able to explain complex legal requirements in a clear and concise way, and (more importantly) provide practical solutions. ’
‘Lesli Ligorner is my go-to with any China employment matter. She has a great team around her, including Yuting Zhu, both of whom I trust implicitly. ’
Key clients
JP Morgan Chase
Gilead Corporation
Endeavor
Autonomic
American Greetings
Bristol Myers Squibb
Comcast
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China
Work highlights
China > Corporate and M&A: foreign firms
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s China M&A team routinely works alongside the firm’s capital markets, regulatory, labour, litigation and antitrust groups on major transactions. The M&A practice also fields sector experts in life sciences, energy, technology, retail and fintech, as well as financial services, healthcare, automotive and transportation. Splitting his time between Beijing and Hong Kong, Ning Zhang regularly advises on mega-value M&A deals, while Alex Wang assists with a range of corporate transactions. Maurice Hoo leads the corporate, M&A and private equity practice in Hong Kong, where Edwin Luk is global co-leader of the firm’s corporate and securities group.Practice head(s):
Ning Zhang; Alex Wang; Maurice Hoo; Edwin Luk
Other key lawyers:
Connie Cheung
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
GIC
Silk Road Fund
NIO Capital
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
J.S. Held
TAIT Towers
Warburg Pincus
Boehringer Ingelheim
China > Life sciences and healthcare: foreign firms
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is recommended for guiding clients through research, development, and regulatory approval. The firm is also strong in financing work, as well as structuring licensing and collaboration agreements in innovative areas such as cancer treatment. Todd Liao is the key name to note in Shanghai, with a strong record in acting for biotechnology and medical device companies from both the US and the PRC. Employment practice head Lesli Ligorner, also based in Shanghai, provides key input to the life sciences practice by offering misconduct and corruption investigations capability. Hong Kong based lawyers Maurice Hoo and Ning Zhang support.Practice head(s):
Todd Liao; Lesli Ligorner; Ning Zhang; Maurice Hoo
Testimonials
Key clients
Gilead Corp.
GIC
CMG-SDIC Capital
Frontage Holdings Corp.
Synaptic Medical Ltd.
IDG Capital
Hillhouse Capital
Matrix China
Sequoia Capital
Lake Bleu
B Capital
AffaMed Therapeutics
Merck
China Everbright
Eight Roads Fund
Shanghai Duoning
UIB Heathcare
Work highlights
China > Private equity: foreign firms
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP acts for some of the most sophisticated PE entities globally, including Warburg Pincus, Permira, Sequoia Capital and Hillhouse, with Ning Zhang being a trusted advisor to these clients from Beijing. The practice is experienced across the spectrum of transactions, including buyouts, add-ons and co-investments, dispositions and other exits. Maurice Hoo spearheads the offering from Hong Kong, bringing more than three decades of PE experience and is particularly strong in the TMT sector.Practice head(s):
Ning Zhang; Maurice Hoo
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Sequoia Capital
Warburg Pincus
GIC
Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation
Meten International Education Group
China Distance Education
Silk Road Fund
Lake Bleu Capital
Bank of China International
Work highlights
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, 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
Department | Name | Telephone | |
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Antitrust | |||
Corporate, finance and investment management | |||
Energy | |||
Intellectual property | |||
International trade | |||
Labour, employment and benefits | |||
Life sciences | |||
Litigation, regulation and investigations | |||
Privacy and cybersecurity | |||
Tax |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : 1,884 at this office : 23 in this country : 79Languages
Arabic Chinese (Mandarin) Dutch English French German Greek Hebrew Hindi Indonesian Italian Japanese Kazakh Korean Portuguese Russian Spanish Turkish- Capital markets (equity)
Firm Rankings
- China > TMT: foreign firms