In its inaugural list, Asian Legal Business presents the next generation of lawyers in Hong Kong who have demonstrated great potential in the industry, while earning wide acclaim from their clients in the process. The list is in alphabetical order and some lawyers have been profiled.
Individuals needed to be under the age of 40 and based permanently in Hong Kong. The list was chosen based on the following criteria:
• Important deals or cases
• Key clients
• Significant accolades received in the form of public recognition, awards, etc.
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BEVERLY CHEUNG
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Beverly Cheung is an associate in the corporate department of Conyers. Cheung’s practice focuses on debt capital market transactions (including exchange and tender offers), mergers and acquisitions, take private transactions, U.S. initial public offerings on Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange, syndicated and mezzanine financings, securitizations and general corporate and commercial transactional work including corporate restructurings. Prior to joining Conyers, she was trained and qualified as a ship finance lawyer at Mayer Brown. Cheung has a very broad client base including listed companies, financial institutions, banks and small and medium-sized enterprises. Amongst the many significant deals that Beverly has handled, she represented Lufax in its $2.36 billion initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. Beverlylso represented TPG Global and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board on their acquisition of 35 percent of Dream Cruises, and advised Noble Group on its $3.5 billion global restructuring, which received the award of M&A Deal of the Year by ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2020. In particular, Cheung is one of the very few lawyers in Hong Kong holding multiple bar qualifications, including England & Wales, Hong Kong, Ireland, New South Wales, British Virgin Islands and Bermuda (registered associate). She is also amongst the first batch of candidates passing the inaugural Guang-dong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Examination in 2021. “She has good client social and management skills, commercial brinksmanship and the ability to work around roadblocks in complex transactional work and to challenge boundaries,” says Paul Lim, a partner in the Conyers’ corporate practice. “With the ongoing spectacular bloodbath of the PRC real estate space in the last 12 months, notably, a first of its kind, changing the perspectives in the legal industry, Beverly has, on short notice, aptly and competently applied herself with fluid intelligence on debt restructuring and liability management exercises of affected Cayman Islands and Bermuda Hong Kong-listed PRC real estate companies.” Outside of work, Cheung is committee member of the young members committees and external affairs committees of various organisations and associations. She was one of the contributors to “Doing Business 2013: Smarter Regulations for Small and Medium-Size Enterprises 2014”. “Beverly is a caring lawyer. She is well aware of our needs and always suggests the most effective and pragmatic legal solutions for us. Whenever offshore transactions and consultations are involved, Beverly would definitely be our go-to lawyer,” notes Jessie Zhang, Head of Securities Department and Company Secretary, Ebang International.
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BRANDON CHOW
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Brandon Chow has been a partner at Eric Chow & Co. in Association with Commerce and Finance Law Offices since June 2022. With 11 years of legal experience, he has been with the firm for five years and focuses on corporate finance. A graduate of the University of Warwick and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chow previously worked at Allen & Overy and Ashurst. With a focus on corporate finance, Chow has completed over 10 HKEx Main Board, GEM and transfer listings in a range of areas including healthcare, education and TMT. One notable deal was the $145 million IPO of a leading cellular immunotherapy biopharma company, as well as the $340 million IPO for China Education Group and the $666 million IPO of the Duiba Group, a user management SaaS provider based in Hangzhou. Over the last year, he has advised China Everbright Capital in a $53 million global offering and IPO of Semk Holdings International and Infinities Global Technology on a public takeover, among others. Chow’s experience covers a full range of corporate and commercial issues including IPOs, public and private takeovers, private equity, cross-border investments, joint ventures and more. “Brandon is our trusted legal gatekeeper and instrumental to our business development. He is very knowledgeable in the legal field and offers sound commercial solutions,” says Mariana Kou, chairperson and CEO at Cinese International Group. Chow’s managing partner, Eric Chow, notes: “His impressive quality of work, responsiveness and client-oriented mindset have set him apart from many of his competitors, making him one of the rising stars in the market. Brandon is also heavily involved in each and every stage of a transaction and always stays on top of developments, making sure that he catches every single detail of the deal.”
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CHIN CHING LAU (RIO)
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Rio Lau is a partner at Hong Kong-based Robertsons with a decade of legal experience and a solicitor in Hong Kong since 2013 with a focus on dispute resolution. His work advising or representing high-profile individual and corporate clients draws on a focus at the start of his career and has helped him become one of the youngest Partners at Robertsons where he sits as a core member of the firm’s business development and marketing team. His input covers the firm’s external and internal matters, such as the streamlining and systemising of data management processes, which has further enhanced operational efficiency and service quality. His work outside the firm has applied his legal expertise to community work, and he is regularly invited as an advisor and speaker by organisations of different disciplines. “Rio is a dynamic member of the firm and has risen quickly through the ranks due to his excellence both as a lawyer and in developing clients,” said Chris Lambert, managing partner of Robertsons. “He very much represents both the future of our firm and the legal profession in Hong Kong, with the positive and professional attitude that is his hallmark.” As well, Lau has been recognised by clients, counsel and other work companions as a reliable and knowledgeable legal professional. |
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WINFIELD LAU
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Winfield Lau is a partner at U.S.-based international law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (WSGR). Lau handles a wide variety of capital markets practice areas including corporate finance, M&A, IPOs, general corporate regulatory and compliance advisory. He holds both business and law degrees from the University of Hong Kong and is qualified to practice in Hong Kong. His work with WSGR has been instrumental in growing the China practice drawing on expertise gained in Hong Kong corporate and securities laws. Of note, WSGR’s Asian capital markets practice is the only new major player in the U.S. and Hong Kong IPO practice in Asia in the past seven years. The cycle of pre-IPO financing rounds, IPOs and follow-on offerings of equity and debt securities, public take-overs, privatisations and mergers and acquisitions has been the focus of his practice. He represented Morgan Stanley in the $4.75 billion placing offering of H-shares of Ping An Insurance Group, which was the largest H-shares follow-on offering by then. He has emerged as a standout among clients that include Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America and issuers such as WuXi AppTec. Praise from clients and his colleagues shows the value they place on his ability to navigate complex securities law and grasp new opportunities. “Our clients have high regards for Winfield’s technical skills and dedication to the matters. Winfield has also worked on a number of high-profile transactions where our clients have acclaimed for his judgment in providing practical advice with his industry knowledge,” says Dan Ouyang, a partner and head of Greater China Capital Markets Practice at WSGR. “In addition, his breadth in skillsets in representing both public and private clients is unique and he has been the “go to” person for Hong Kong legal issues in our China practice group. He has also attended numerous networking events on behalf of our practice for business development.”
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RYAN McCONVEY
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Ryan McConvey is an associate in Conyers Hong Kong office. He has a broad practice which generally encompasses all aspects of Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands corporate and commercial law with particular focus on mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, privatisations (including by way of statutory merger or scheme of arrangement), corporate finance, equity capital market transactions (including IPOs and other offerings on the NYSE, Nasdaq and HKSE) and debt capital market transactions (both secured and unsecured, including an array of bond and high-yield note offerings: investment grade, senior unsecured, high yield, convertible and exchangeable, credit enhanced and perpetual). His recent work has comprised award-winning deals including advising Redco Properties Group on its tender offer and consent solicitation liability management exercise and Golden Wheel Tiandi Company on the successful restructuring of its three offshore U.S. dollar bonds with an aggregate principal amount of approximately $445 million, by way of a scheme of arrangement in the Cayman Islands. He has also recently handled various new debt offerings for state-owned entities in mainland China and IPOs on both HKSE and Nasdaq. McConvey’s colleagues at Conyers are quick to point to his strong work ethic and quick thinking. “Ryan has always demonstrated a willingness to go the extra mile for clients. He also has the ability to get to the heart of the matter quickly, which clients really like. Outside of professional matters, his work with our charity initiatives is really well received,” says Chris Bickley, a partner, head of Hong Kong Office, and board member at Conyers. His business sense has also drawn praise. “Ryan is a thoroughly nice chap who is technically good and commercially minded to boot,” says David Lamb, now a consultant and former partner and former co-chairman at Conyers.
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ZHEYUAN QIAO (JACQUELINE)
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Jacqueline Qiao is a partner at JunHe Law Offices. She focuses on cryptocurrency, blockchain, web3, the metaverse, and virtual assets derivatives. She has provided structuring, tokenization and regulatory advice on a wide range of technology-related issues, from token and NFT issuers to virtual assets, trading exchanges, digital assets trading exchanges, digital assets management companies all the way to virtual banks and start-ups in Hong Kong and Singapore. She speaks the native language of cryptocurrency, blockchain and Web 3 and has an in-depth understanding of technology. Prior to joining JunHe, Qiao worked at leading international law firms including Clifford Chance, Ashurst and Linklaters as well as a major investment bank (Soc Gen) as a structurer in the Greater China cross-asset structuring team. She has represented a wide range of leading cryptocurrency exchanges and virtual asset finance companies, including Huobi, Amber, Hashkey, OSL, etc. In addition, she has represented a wide range of leading start-up companies in the Web 3 area such as NFT/SFT marketplace, DID company, gamefi companies, STO issuer, stable coin issuer, mining machine manufacturer etc. She has also acted for many major crypto VC funds and crypto hedge funds in Asia. Jacqueline was shortlisted as the Fintech and Digital Assets Lawyer of the Year for the 2023 Asia Legal Awards. “She is well recognised by the main-stream clients in the fintech and digital assets industry as ‘the lawyer to go to’ in Asia,” said by one of her clients. Her colleagues at JunHe also recognise her depth of knowledge in the industry noting that “her team has developed a broad understanding of the blockchain technologies and digital assets and advised clients on their digital assets-related transactions in different sectors of the Fintech industry from a global regulatory perspective.” Her team is also considered “crypto native” by the market.
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YI-SHUN TEOH
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Yi-Shun Teoh is an of counsel at RPC in Hong Kong. He is a Solicitor Advocate and triple-qualified in Hong Kong, England and Wales and New South Wales (Australia). Teoh’s practice focuses on international arbitration, commercial litigation and regulatory investigations and enforcement. He has acted in some of the most high-profile and landmark arbitration-related set aside / enforcement cases in the Hong Kong courts over the past decade, including Grand Pacific v Pacific China. He is currently enforcing a $127 million foreign arbitral award before the Hong Kong courts on behalf of a technology company. Teoh represents private equity firms, financial institutions, insurers, major corporates and high networth individual clients in complex Hong Kong litigation proceedings and international arbitrations under the leading institutional rules (including ICC, HKIAC, SIAC, CIETAC and UNCITRAL) seated in Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Beijing and Shenzhen. He appears as advocate before the Hong Kong Court of First Instance and as counsel in international arbitration hearings. He is a member of the Arbitration Committee of the Law Society of Hong Kong, the Arbitration and ADR Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Hong Kong and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (FCIArb). Teoh is earning accolades from clients for his work and expertise in international arbitration: “Yi-Shun is very experienced and knowledgeable in international arbitration, he is a persuasive advocate, tactically sharp and extremely diligent, he was always ready to help us at all hours.” “Yi-Shun offered his strategic views meticulously with patience and professionalism, guiding and collaborating with our design team throughout the proceedings with expert knowledge of international arbitration. Not only did he demonstrate superior analytical and drafting skills, Yi-Shun was quick in processing a large volume of information in relation to the facts of the case and technical design, and formulating highly effective strategies to advance our case.”
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HEWEI WANG (CHARLES)
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Hewei Wang (Charles) is a partner at the Corporate Department of Tian Yuan Law Firm. With 13 years of legal experience and now in corporate practice as a Hong Kong qualified solicitor with Tian Yuan, a firm he joined in 2019, Wang was previously a counsel with Herbert Smith Freehills. His top case in the past year was advisory work on the Gushengtang IPO and listing on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The lead underwriters were the Bank of America Securities and Haitong International as joint sponsors also. Previous work included advisory on the Simcere Pharmaceutical Group IPO and listing on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with lead underwriters Morgan Stanley and CICC. Other IPO advisory work that led to Hong Kong Stock Exchange listings and aiding key underwriters and sponsors involved China Everbright Water Limited, the Duiba Group, Minsheng Education Group Company, and China New Higher Education Group. Wang’s clients in private practice have included China Merchants Securities, BNP Paribas, Macquarie Capital and BOCOM International. “Being recognised as a committed and trusted adviser, Charles has significant experience on Hong Kong matters. He is technically strong and applies a hands-on and proactive approach in bringing a wealth of technical knowledge and problem-solving skills to his clients,” said Li King Wang, managing partner, Tian Yuan Law Firm. Others outside the firm have also been generous with their praise. “I got to know Charles when he was with Herbert Smith Freehills in 2015 and we worked on many Hong Kong IPO projects. Charles is a technically strong ECM lawyer in Hong Kong and is reliable and responsive in relation to communication and delivery of work,” says Wendy Zhai, managing director, Macquarie Capital.
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DAVID WANG
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David Wang is a consultant in the area of investment funds formation and private equity investment for Beijing-headquartered JunHe. With over a decade of experience, he holds Chinese Lawyer Certification and has an LLB from Macau University of Science and Technology and an LLM from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Investment advice for major firms on fund formation, private equity investment and mergers and acquisitions is a hallmark of David’s work. Colleagues and co-workers acknowledge the breadth and detail of David’s work. “My legal colleagues and business colleagues who have worked with him all speak highly of David’s solid experience of drafting comprehensive fund documents, enthusiasm, and keen sense of responsibility,” says Jaron Jiao, Legal Counsel of Noah Group, who quoted Vivienne Zhao, director of our Product and Investment Division as well. Those comments were echoed by another client on both professionalism and knowledge. “David is an outstanding lawyer. He is commercial in his thinking and approach. Highly solution-oriented and always acting in the best interests of his clients, and the wider interests of the commercial and legal realities of any particular transaction,” says Everton Robertson, a partner with the Maples Group. “He is a go-to lawyer, in particular, for onshore and offshore fund formation and private equity and venture capital matters.” His work ethic and abilities are well-regarded among his colleagues. “Mr. Wang represents many inter-national PE/VC funds, hedge funds, and financial institutions in the design and implementation of various offshore fund and asset management products and is also active in PE/VC transactions, mergers and acquisitions and capital markets fields,” says De Lihua, managing partner at JunHe Hong Kong. “He always manages to deliver top-notch legal services to support our clients.”
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CATHERINE WONG
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Catherine Wong is a disputes and restructuring lawyer qualified to practice in England & Wales, British Virgin Islands, Bermuda and Hong Kong. She obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is currently a legal manager /associate (pending registration as a Hong Kong Foreign Lawyer) at Conyers. Wong’s practice focuses on handling high-value complex shareholders’ disputes, winding up proceedings, insolvency and restructuring matters, private wealth and trust disputes, urgent worldwide injunctions, third-party disclosures and enforcement actions. She also has experience in acting in international arbitrations, Competition Commission enforcement actions, and advising on regulatory and compliance matters. “Catherine has my trust since day 1,” says Norman Hau, a partner in Conyers’ disputes and restructuring practice. “She regularly offers well-considered practical solutions. Her attention to detail and drafting ability impress me. It is rare to find in her peers.” Outside of work, Wong regularly publishes articles in international law journals, and frequently delivers presentations on contemporary topics and advise on pro bono matters. “Catherine is highly diligent and has a strong commitment to pro bono work. She delivered legal support to pro bono clients with a high level of professionalism, and has proved herself to be extremely reliable,” notes Justine Lam, head of Hong Kong Office of Justice without Borders. Wong has been admitted as member of various professional organisations, including the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Hong Kong Institute of Arbitrators, Hong Kong Mediation and Arbitration Centre, Hong Kong Mediation Centre and INSOL International. Additionally, she currently serves as committee member in various Law Society of Hong Kong committees and working parties. “I have no doubt Catherine has high potential to develop a highly promising career in the legal profession,” says Serina Chan, an ex-Council Member of the Law Society of Hong Kong.
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MANWA YIP
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Manwa Yip is a legal manager at Conyers. Yip’s practice area covers disputes and restructuring in Asia. She is a qualified Hong Kong solicitor since 2017, though not currently practicing, and is admitted in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) and Bermuda. Her academic credentials include a Master of Public Policy from Oxford University and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Hong Kong. Prior to Conyers, she worked with Herbert Smith Freehills from 2015 to 2017 and did a secondment to Goldman Sachs. Her current work in offshore proceedings covers insolvency and restructuring, shareholder disputes, enforcement of security, regulatory investigations and disclosure applications. Highlights include resisting applications for appointment of provisional liquidators, obtaining a stay of appointment of provisional liquidators and advising on applications for just and equitable winding up. Fellow legal colleagues have praised her work demeanour and effectiveness. “I have had the privilege to work with Manwa in a number of cases involving restructuring of a Hong Kong-listed company in Bermuda and a multi-billion dollars dispute in the BVI,” says PS Hau, partner, Charles Chu & Kenneth Sit. “I found Manwa extremely professional, responsive, and capable of getting quickly into the gist of the issues in order to provide the best and most realistic and practicable solution for the clients in the circumstances, often within a very tight timeline.” Her colleagues also praised her ability to cut to the finer points of cases. “On top of Manwa’s academic excellence, her pragmatic approach in application of legal knowledge and research work is truly remarkable at her seniority. Manwa has outstanding case management skills and strategy planning. She wins respect from our clients with her work. A star in the making,” says Norman Hau, partner of disputes and restructuring at Conyers.
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THE LIST
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ALB HONG KONG RISING STARS 2023 |
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JUSTIN CHAN BEVERLY CHEUNG BRANDON CHOW JOCELYN CHOW ALEX CHUNG STEVEN FRANKLIN MAUREEN HO CHAZ KITTRELL MA HEI (CHRISTINA) KWAN CHIN CHING (RIO) LAU WINFIELD LAU JING LI NATALIE LEONG SZE MAN (XENIA) LO STEPHEN LUO
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RYAN McCONVEY CONNELL O’NEILL ZHEYUAN (JACQUELINE) QIAO FENG QI (ELIZA) SIEW YI-SHUN TEOH DELPHINE TSE PETER VAS TIMOTHY WAN HEWEI (CHARLES) WANG WEIWEI WANG CATHERINE WONG ALVIN WONG MANWA YIP MICHAEL YU VIVIEN YU
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