13 July, 2016
International law firm Taylor Wessing has announced an official association between a newly established branch of Taylor Wessing and local firm HM Chan & Co in Hong Kong.
HM Chan & Co delivers a wide range of advice on corporate, M&A, capital markets and regulatory and compliance matters. The firm is currently advising on a number of pre-IPO investments, Hong Kong Mainboard listings and potential public takeovers. It has also advised on a HK$1.3 billion public takeover by a consortium of investors led by Jet Li and were recently involved in the Takeovers Panel proceedings in relation to a major health IT company. Through the association, Taylor Wessing and HM Chan & Co will continue to deliver corporate advisory work with a focus on assisting clients in multi-jurisdictional transactions, a core competence of the team.
In addition, given Taylor Wessing's international client base and sector strength across TMC, life sciences, private wealth and energy, the two firms are driving a proactive growth strategy to increase capability across their combined offering in the regulatory investigations and enforcement, arbitration and intellectual property areas.
Through the association Mark Chan, the Managing Partner of HM Chan & Co, will work closely with German corporate partner Dr Jakob Riemenschneider who has relocated to Hong Kong to head up the Taylor Wessing branch. Jakob who is fluent in German, English and Mandarin, has extensive experience advising European and Asian clients on cross-border corporate transactions and commercial activities. He will focus on inbound/outbound opportunities presented by the Hong Kong market.
Tim Eyles, Managing Partner, Taylor Wessing UK commented: "Our international growth strategy has always been aligned to the needs of our clients and we are seeing an increased focus from them on the inbound and outbound opportunities Asia presents. Given our considerable experience in supporting international businesses develop in the Asia region, having operated in China for 20 years and Singapore for five, we are well placed to support our clients capitalise on these opportunities and Hong Kong is the natural next step for our growth."
Mark Chan, Managing Partner, HM Chan & Co added: "This is a very exciting move for our firms and draws on our combined and recognised strengths in corporate and corporate finance. Taylor Wessing is a quality operator and my team and I look forward to working with Jakob to provide our clients with a formidable international team. Having worked with Taylor Wessing over the last 12 months we know our fit and values are completely aligned, which is core to great client service and international integration."
The new Hong Kong office further strengthens Taylor Wessing's already extensive capability across Asia, which comprises a network of more than 950 lawyers in South East Asia operating through its ASEAN+ Group. Internationally, the firm has 33 offices, operating in 20 jurisdictions, across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with representative offices in the US (Palo Alto and New York).
The news of the association in Hong Kong follows on from the recent announcement that Taylor Wessing has entered into an association with Alsulaim Alawaji & Partners Law Firm in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In addition, the firm also announced last week that RHTLaw Taylor Wessing has further established its regional cross-border practice with the opening of its new office in Vietnam. The launch of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing Vietnam brought together PBC PARTNERS and RHTLaw Taylor Wessing.