Elizabeth Broomhall In Hong Kong

March 10, 2014 | International Edition

Four additional Hong Kong lawyers have been given the go-ahead to appear in the city's courts following training and assessment, out of a total of 30 who took part in the scheme. The lawyers were named in a Law Society circular, and inlcude Allen & Overy (A&O) senior associate Kevin Kee, Ernst and Young in house attorney Regina Fan, partner Pak Hau from Hong Kong outfit Charles Chu & Kenneth Sit and sole proprietor Paul Kwong.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

2 minute read

March 10, 2014 | International Edition

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has boosted its asset finance capability in Hong Kong with the hire of Beijing-based partner Nigel Ward from Norton Rose Fulbright. Ward, who joins this month, will be the fifth partner to join BLP in Hong Kong since it opened in the city in 2011, but the first shipping and aviation finance specialist.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

3 minute read

March 09, 2014 | International Edition

Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy is planning to wind up its local Hong Kong practice and revert to being a registered foreign law firm in the city. The proposed model would replicate that adopted in Singapore, where Milbank does not have a local licence but partners with top tier local firms to act jointly on cross border and regional mandates.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

2 minute read

March 06, 2014 | International Edition

Weil Gotshal & Manges' Asia managing partner is set to relocate to the US next month, seven years after opening the firm's Hong Kong office. Japan-born M&A partner Akiko Mikumo will transfer to Weil's head office in New York where she previously practised.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

3 minute read

March 06, 2014 | International Edition

Reed Smith has hired Emirati partner and former general counsel at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) Maher Al Mannaee, as it looks to increase the number of government mandate wins. Corporate and projects specialist Al Mannaee joined the firm's Abu Dhabi office last month, bolstering the number of partners in that office to six.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

3 minute read

March 05, 2014 | International Edition

Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson has made up two lawyers in London and one in Hong Kong out of five partner promotions globally. Effective March 1, the promotions round also includes nine special counsel appointments, with lawyers located across Washington DC, New York and Frankfurt making the cut.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

3 minute read

March 04, 2014 | International Edition

Hong Kong lawmaker and former chairman of the region's democratic party Albert Ho has been fined HK$10,000 for looking at pictures of bikini-clad women during a budget speech, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) has reported. Ho, senior partner at Hong Kong firm Ho Tse Wai & Partners, has agreed to pay the fine to a women's organisation or other non-governmental group before the end of the month, according to the English-language newspaper in the city.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

2 minute read

March 04, 2014 | International Edition

Singapore's Rajah & Tann has hired 14 lawyers in Bangkok from US outfit Hunton & Williams. The group works across several areas, namely banking and finance, corporate, and disputes and regulatory, and in industries such as telecommunications, tobacco, food & beverage, insurance and manufacturing.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

2 minute read

March 03, 2014 | International Edition

Singapore has long been an important market for international law firms, both as a hub for South East Asian and Indian work and in its own commercial right. But last week's news that only four of the six international firms granted qualifying foreign law practice (QFLP) licences in 2008 have secured full five-year renewals demonstrates the challenges firms still face in the region.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

6 minute read

March 03, 2014 | International Edition

Accounting giant EY is planning to expand its legal services business across Asia following its January entry into mainland China. The big four accounting firm, previously known as Ernst & Young, is hoping to expand its legal offering to Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Korea and Indonesia, subject to regulatory requirements."We have a desire to be in all of the significant jurisdictions," said Howard Adams, who is spearheading the venture and who has since been appointed head of legal at EY for the region.

By Elizabeth Broomhall in Hong Kong

4 minute read