King & Wood Mallesons has hired a former Paul Hastings partner as counsel in Hong Kong.

Jason Kuo specializes in capital markets deals. He advises on the U.S. law aspects of Hong Kong listings and relevant transactions. Last year, he represented Hong Kong-based biopharmaceutical company SinoMab BioScience Ltd. on a $177 million initial public offering.

Kuo joined Paul Hastings in 2018 from Troutman Sanders where he was a Hong Kong partner. Before moving to Troutman in 2016, he spent 18 years with Sidley Austin, and had been a partner there since 2008.

King & Wood Mallesons has tried to beef up its U.S. law transactions offering in Greater China in recent years.  In 2018, the firm hired former Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton Beijing partner Huang Ling, a U.S. law mergers and acquisitions and private equity deals specialist. The Chinese firm has also been expanding its U.S.-based offices, adding transactions and disputes capabilities in both New York and its Silicon Valley offices.

At Paul Hastings, Kuo's exit follows the hire of partner Chaobo Fan, who joined in December from Latham & Watkins where he was an associate. Kuo's departure is also the latest from the firm's once sizable Hong Kong capital markets team. Three partners—former Hong Kong office head Steven Winegar, former partners Bonnie Yung and Nan Li—left in 2018 and 2019.

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