Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP, praised for its ‘global reach’ and ’technical excellence’, handles complex merger control, cartel and behaviour investigations, litigation, market regulation and compliance matters across heavily-regulated sectors. Its Shanghai team works with joint operation firm Kewei Law Firm, covering merger control and domestic PRC matters. The ‘excellent’ Adelaide Luke leads the practice from Hong Kong, offering an international perspective to Asian and Western clients on merger control, FDI and cartel investigations. Hazel Xu, in Shanghai, has experience in merger filings, compliance advisory and investigations. Frances Xu departed in 2025.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Adelaide Luke is excellent - commercial, user-friendly and responsive.’
- ‘Howard Chan is particularly impressive: very bright with an ability to think outside the box.’
- ‘HSF provided a seamless service. They were knowledgeable, responsive and clear in their advice. They were particularly adept at understanding the unpublished procedures and ways of doing things in the PRC and building this into the transaction. We had a great result, all well in line with the advice given.’
- ‘Team has a good mix of lawyers with international experience and local know-how. They are responsive, practical in their advice and handling of instructions.’
- ‘Adelaide Luke and Hazel Xu displayed industry-leading insights in their support for our transaction.’
- ‘Global and integrated reach and technical excellence.’
Key clients
- Softbank
- Canal+
- Santos
- South32
- Genus
- SQM
- ABF
- BAT
- Mineral Resources
Work highlights
Advised Canal+ on acquiring a minority stake in Viu Group, owned by PCCW, involving multi-jurisdictional regulatory analysis, merger control filings, and phased equity interests.
Advised Genus plc on PRC competition law for its collaboration with Beijing Capital Agribusiness regarding porcine genetics.
Assisted Euglena, PETRONAS, and Eni in forming a joint venture to establish a biofuel refinery in Malaysia, with an emphasis on producing sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Practice head
Adelaide Luke
Other key lawyers
Hazel Xu; Howard Chan; Cathy Liu