Asia

Our team of over 300 litigators conducts cases in more than 70 countries. We have the largest dedicated group of international injunction specialists in the country. Our team has conducted arbitrations under virtually all of the major international arbitration rules. As one of the leading London teams of high-level strategists and robust counsel, our Asian focused experience includes:

• Defending a South East Asian client being investigated and prosecuted for money laundering in relation to the transfer of funds from South East Asia to the UK for investment purposes; successfully securing the discontinuance of the entire criminal proceedings against the client.
• Acting in the investigation of a large scale Caribbean development fraud, corruption and bribery case involving the loss of millions of dollars, including coordinating litigation and injunctive action in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and Canada.
• Representing a Thai developer against a state in an UNCITRAL arbitration concerning a failed power generation project finance transaction. Advising a Hong Kong trading company in respect of LCIA proceedings against a UK listed company.
• Representing a listed Hong Kong Bank in fraud litigation in the UK Courts.

For high net worth (HNW) individuals and family offices, we act as personal advisors, dealing with carefully selected overseas professionals on behalf of our clients. Our experience ranges from immigration, tax and wealth management, residential property, and art law, to reputation protection, family law, families in business, and trust and succession disputes and planning. As experts in preserving, growing and transferring wealth, we have Asian related experience including:

• Advising HNWIs from India, Pakistan, China, Malaysia, and Thailand on UK investor visas and other economic citizenship programmes.
• Providing reputation management strategy services for an UHNW Malaysian who was wrongly accused of fraud and money laundering by journalists.
• Advising collectors based in Hong Kong on a claim for negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation against a UK based antiques dealer.
• Acting for a discretionary beneficiary of a US$1billion Hong Kong trust against a professional trustee for conflict of interest and breaches of duty.

For business owners, wealth owners and dealmakers, our teams manage cross-border transactions as an extension of a client’s internal management team - even when there is little or no UK angle. Our experience covers M&A, corporate finance, joint ventures, corporate restructuring, private equity, funds and financial services. We worked on 77 M&A deals in 2012, with a total value of £6.9 billion and we have a unique perspective on the growing importance of private capital within the mid-market. We have experience acting for Asian businesses including:

• Advising Bank of East Asia in relation to a multi-million pound debt facility in relation to the acquisition of property in West London.
• Advising an independent online publisher in the Asia Pacific region on data protection and commercial issues.
• Advising Affinia Group Inc on the acquisition of Haimeng company in China (an automotive component manufacturer).
• Advising Bank of Singapore on a £18.5million facility for the refinancing of a London portfolio.
• Counseling Orhan Group LLC in relation to a significant joint venture in Korea.
• Advising Jotun A/S, a Norwegian marine coatings company, in connection with the restructuring and reincorporation in Hong Kong of its joint venture with a large PRC state-owned shipping company.
• Advising the company behind ‘Chinese Football Dream’, a Chinese football reality television show, including drafting the commercial agreements and introducing the client to top European football clubs as official partners for the show.
• Providing advice to Baker Tilly in their capacity as reporting accountants on the £54m AIM flotation of AsianLogic Limited.

We have one of the largest dedicated employment teams in London, acting for both employers and employees, and therefore understanding the relevant issues for both sides. We work with the most senior and high profile people within organisations resolving the complex problems they encounter. Our Asian related experience covers:

• Advising senior executives taking up positions within Singapore.
• Advising a multi-national interdealer broker on restrictive covenant issues related to the Singapore office.
• On-going advisory role to a major global music conglomerate, dealing with a range of employment matters across several Asian countries.
• On-going advisory role for a Singapore based consulting firm on a variety of employment matters.

We are connected to more property deals and industry professionals than any other firm in London. We regularly advise overseas corporate and HNW investors on UK opportunities spanning both commercial (office, hotel, leisure and mixed-use) and residential property. Stemming from Asia, our experience includes:

• Advising a joint venture controlled by Country Garden on the acquisition of a 1.7 hectare site at Ailsa Wharf in Poplar, east London.
• Advising a China-based property fund on the acquisition of a development site in west London for over £36 million.
• Representing the Anglo-Chinese joint venture company EREC Estates in connection with its student housing portfolio and its £40 million refinancing with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
• Advising Bank of East Asia on a multi-million pound debt facility in relation to the acquisition of a west London property.