Sidley Austin Adds One Corporate Partner in Hong Kong, Loses One in Beijing
Former Kirkland & Ellis partner Meng Ding arrives while capital markets specialist Kefei Li departs for in-house role.
September 24, 2019 at 04:30 PM
3 minute read
Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM
Sidley Austin has hired corporate partner Meng Ding in Hong Kong from Kirkland & Ellis, but the firm is losing Beijing partner Kefei Li, who is leaving for a general counsel role at a startup.
Ding advises China-related corporate and securities deals, especially Hong Kong and U.S. listings. Last year, he represented underwriters including Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan Securities on a $180 million initial public offering by Chinese travel website Tongcheng-eLong Holdings Ltd. He also acted for J.P. Morgan and Credit Suisse as underwriters for home loan lender CNFinance Holdings Ltd.'s $49 million debut on the New York Stock Exchange.
He joined Kirkland in late 2017 from Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he had been an associate since 2009.
Ding holds a Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and worked as an engineer for IBM and AMD in Silicon Valley before becoming a lawyer.
"His deep understanding of emerging technologies and technology companies will be a valuable addition to our practice," Asia-Pacific managing partner Constance Choy said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Beijing capital markets partner Li will leave the firm to be general counsel at Chinese retail startup Bianlifeng. Beijing-based Bianlifeng operates unmanned convenience stores using algorithms, and has attracted investors such as Tencent and Hillhouse Capital.
Earlier this year, Li advised Chinese vaccine-maker CanSino Biologics Inc. on a $160 million initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Li joined Sidley in 2015 from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he was a Beijing partner. He moved to Wilson Sonsini in 2011 from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and helped launch the former's Beijing office.
In June, former Shanghai partner Joseph Chan also left Sidley and joined restaurant chain operator Yum China Holdings as chief legal officer. Chan advised on China-related corporate transactions. Last year, he represented Paris-based apparel company Etam Group on the sale of its Chinese ready-to-wear operations. He joined Sidley in Shanghai in 2010 from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman's Shanghai office, which he helped launch.
Earlier in September, Sidley relocated M&A partner Ruchun Ji from Palo Alto to Beijing. Ji focuses on growth companies and venture capital investment, especially in the life science and biotech sector. The firm's China life science practice is co-led by Beijing partner Lei Li and senior counsel Chen Yang.
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