On October 26, 2010, the RMB Rising Seminar: What Do the Recent Moves Toward Yuan Liberalization Signify? will be held at the Renaissance Harbour View, Hong Kong. Hosted by FinanceAsia, there will be numerous industry experts, including leading investors and bankers, speaking throughout the day on the implications of recent currency reform moves by Beijing on capital controls. A particular focus of the seminar will be on investor access to China, corporate finance opportunities, and the impact of RMB liberalization on FX markets.  Attendance is open to general registration. For more information on the conference or to register a place, please go to http://www.financeasia.com/Conference/230194,rmb-rising.aspx.

Allen & Overy has relocated London partner Gary McLean to Hong Kong and has named him head of the firm’s Asia-Pacific corporate practice. The move underscores the firm’s expanded corporate presence across Asia, which includes their recent office openings in Jakarta and Australia. Mr. McLean, who has been with A&O since 1988 and a partner since 1996. He had previously worked at the firm’ Hong Kong office and focuses his practice on M&A, asset financing, outsourcing transactions, joint ventures and corporate recovery work. More recently, Mr. McLean served as US counsel to the international underwriters for the Agricultural Bank of China, the work’s largest IPO.

Sheppard Mullin has added Jenny Liu, previously with DLA Piper’s Beijing office, as Special Counsel at their Shanghai office.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati will launch a new office in Hong Kong, its second in Asia after opening a Shanghai office in 2008. The new office will include Weiheng Chen, recently hired from Milbank, who has been named as the Co-head of Wilson Sonsini’s China practice. Mr. Chen will work in collaboration with the firm’s current head of China, Carmen Chang, in opening the office in the coming months. The expansion into Hong Kong is due to the volume of Chinese cross-border transactions and the move of many US client operations of China, said Wilson Sonsini CEO Steve Bochner.

Minter Ellison has officially opened its third office in Greater China, with the recent opening of its Beijing office. Minter which has had offices in Hong Kong since the early 1980s and a Shanghai office since 1999, will focus it’s Beijing practice on outbound M&A and inbound and outbound investment opportunities. The team in Beijing will include partner Sam Farrands, as well as lawyers Tim Knowles, Andrew Thomson and Kevin Zhou.

K&L Gates has bolstered its corproate practice by adding W Rose Zhu to its Beijing office. Zhu, who is leaving Allen & Overy LLP, recently led the team that advised on the global offering of common shares by the Agricultural Bank of China Limited, the world’s largest IPO in 2010. Zhu possesses extensive experience throughout the United States, Hong KOng and China, advising both international and Chinese companies in capital markets, mergers & acquisitions and financings. Zhu, a P.R.C. native, has led many pioneering and high-profile transactions, while also regularly counseling a number of leading P.R.C. institutions and regulators.

Read the rest of this entry »

On September 7-8, 2010 at The Regent Hotel, Beijing, China, AsianInvestor is hosting the 3rd Annual China Institutional Investment Forum. The 2010 Forum, designed to bring together influential Asian financial market participants exploring investment opportunities, will utilize in-depth discussions and presentations to discuss contemporary themes in global investing, the risks involved, and successful asset strategies to manage those risks. Among those expected to attend are Chinese state and corporate pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, investment arms of insurance companies, distributors, regulators and other leading institutions. Attendance at the confernce is by invitation only and complimentary for invited guests and supporting sponsors.

Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, the Chinese government has been creating new enforcement methods for their Intellectual Property Rights policies. Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has made a great effort to create policies for IPR that more closely resemble those of the most developed countries. The amended IP regulations in China are in complete accordance with the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The TRIPS agreement was negotiated in 1994 and is the first ever attempt at introducing IPR regulations in the international trading system. Because China has adopted the TRIPS regulations into their domestic IPR laws, the Chinese economy is better able to align its IPR structures with other WTO countries. As a result, venture capital investment in China is on the rise. Investors see more possibilities in the Chinese market as the laws create greater protections for intellectual property.

Read the rest of this entry »

Mid-Level Corporate Associate - Hong Kong

The Hong Kong office of this elite firm is seeking a mid-level associate with at least two years of practical post-qualification experience handling public offerings and general corporate matters. Ideal candidates possess Hong Kong qualifications and fluent Mandarin language skills. Candidates with U.S. JDs, or especially strong P.R.C.-qualified attorneys, will also be considered if they have a strong understanding of the Hong Kong Market.

Read more…

Read the rest of this entry »

Gigi Cheah and Justin Davidson have been appointed to Norton Rose Hong Kong’s intellectual property, communications, media and technology practice team. Cheah is a non-contentious intellectual property and technology lawyer specializing in licensing, outsourcing, data privacy, life science, technology procurement, commercial work and telecommunication broadcastings and competition matters. Davidson’s practice focuses on both contentious and non-contentious intellectual property matters. He specializes in transactional, intellectual property prosecution and dispute resolution, exploitation and advisory IP work. Both Cheah and Davidson join Norton Rose from DLA Piper’s Hong Kong office.

Read the rest of this entry »

The international trend for law firms to expand to Asia continues as three top tier Australian firms announce that they will open offices in Japan and the PRC. Blake Dawson will expand to 5 Asia offices and 48 Asia partners this year with the launch of their Tokyo office while top tier Aussie firm Clayton Utz sets their sights on Hong Kong. The Hong Kong branch of Clayton Utz will be the first office in Asia for the renowned corporate and M&A firm. Minter Ellison is currently considering a Beijing location to increase business flow in China. Minter Ellison has strong base in Shanghai and hopes that a Beijing office will assist their domestic and international clients with their legal needs. As the Asia markets continue to rapidly expand, more and more firms are growing cognizant of the need for a local presence in these major business hub cities. With such lucrative potential in the Asia market, firms are looking to capitalize. These new offices will likely create openings for associate and partner positions in the Asia branches.

China Practice Partner - Los Angeles

This top US firm is looking for a China-related partner with corporate, dispute resolution and/or IP experience for it Los Angeles office. This firm has a strong Shanghai and LA based China practice. With a focus on both China and Japan, the firm is looking for a partner to act as a go-between the US and China practices. Top preference goes to bi-cultural partners and the firm is well-reputed as one of the top law firms for female partners. They focus on M&A, inbound and outbound investment, capital markets, arbitration and IP (preferably hard IP, but open to soft). The firm has no debt and offers a strong platform to build on, with a low cost base and a strong desire to diversify their existing platform. This is a great alternative to the Wall Street law firm experience.  Read More…

Senior International Capital Markets Attorney - Hong Kong/Beijing

The Hong Kong office of this leading law firm is seeking a senior associate for their International Capital Markets Group. Candidates must have at least five years of post-qualification experience, as well as experience in U.S. S.E.C.-registered equity and debt offerings, and Rule 144A offerings, including Hong Kong listings works. They must also have substantial experience advising and assisting on Exchange Act reports and general U.S. securities regulations. Fluency in Mandarin is required, along with strong communication and leadership skills.

Read More…

Read the rest of this entry »