Ashurst Hires DLA Piper Corporate Partner in Hong Kong
Former DLA Piper partner Melody He-Chen arrives as Ashurst moves to further develops its capital markets and corporate transactions brand. Hong Kong was the world's top IPO market in 2019.
March 17, 2020 at 09:00 PM
2 minute read
Hong Kong. Photo: zhu difeng/Shutterstock.com
Ashurst has recruited a corporate partner in Hong Kong from DLA Piper—part of an effort to expand its transactions capabilities and develop its brand in North Asia.
Melody He-Chen, dual-qualified in Hong Kong and the U.S., advises on capital markets transactions and mergers and acquisitions, especially Chinese companies' Hong Kong listings. Last year, she represented Guotai Junan Capital Ltd. and other underwriters on Chinese mobile game developer FriendTimes Inc.'s $58 million initial public offering in Hong Kong.
Chen joined DLA Piper in 2015 from Morrison & Foerster, where she was also a partner in Hong Kong. Before joining the U.S. firm in 2012, Chen practiced with Herbert Smith in Hong Kong for six years, making partner in 2011.
Chen's hire is part of the firm's effort to bolster a Hong Kong-based equity capital markets practice. U.S. securities partner Stuart Rubin recently relocated to London. In 2018, Ashurst hired former Slaughter and May counsel Frank Bi as a corporate partner in Hong Kong.
Sydney partner Mark Stanbridge, who took over from Rubin as Asia head of corporate transactions, said Chen's arrival will help broaden and deepen the firm's transactions capabilities and develop its brand in the North Asian markets.
Ashurst lost a pair of equity capital markets and corporate partners Lina Lee and Jonathan Hsui to Allen & Overy in 2016. In 2017, the firm briefly had former Linklaters capital markets partner Chik Pui Hong; Chik left in 2018.
Hong Kong topped world's IPO markets in 2019 with $40.3 billion in total funds raised, despite a significant drop in deal counts.
Related stories:
Ashurst recruits Linklaters China partner in trio of Asia-Pac hires
Allen & Overy hires two Ashurst capital markets partners in Hong Kong
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Goodwin's Singapore Private Equity Partner Leaves to Join Key Client Hillhouse Investment
Law Firms Mentioned
Trending Stories
- 1Departing Attorneys Sue Their Former Law Firm
- 2Pa. High Court: Concrete Proof Not Needed to Weigh Grounds for Preliminary Injunction Order
- 3'Something Else Is Coming': DOGE Established, but With Limited Scope
- 4Polsinelli Picks Up Corporate Health Care Partner From Greenberg Traurig in LA
- 5Kirkland Lands in Phila., but Rate Pressure May Limit the High-Flying Firm's Growth Prospects
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
