A reputation for excellence

BAND 1

• Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Big-Ticket
• Competition Law
• Corporate/M&A: £800 million and above
• Financial Crime: Corporates
• Insurance: Non-contentious
• Tax

BAND 2

• Banking Litigation
• Commercial and Corporate Litigation
• Employee Share Schemes & Incentives
• Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Corporates)
• Pensions
• Restructuring/Insolvency
• Retail: Corporate & Competition
• Tax: Contentious

BAND 1

• Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Big-Ticket
• Competition Law
• Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability
• Financial Crime: Corporates
• Insurance: Non-contentious
• Litigation
• Real Estate: Mainly Mid-Market
• Tax

BAND 2

• Banking Litigation
• Commercial and Corporate Litigation
• Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Corporates)
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory
• Outsourcing
• Pensions
• Restructuring/Insolvency
• Retail: Corporate & Competition
• Tax: Contentious

BAND 1

• Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Loans
• Banking litigation: Investment and Retail
• Competition Litigation
• Corporate Tax
• Employee Share Schemes
• EU and competition
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory
• Fintech
• Insurance: Corporate and Regulatory
• IT and Telecoms
• M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals, £500M+
• Pensions: Non-contentious
• Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates)
• Tax Litigation and Investigations

BAND 2

• Commercial Contracts
• Commercial Litigation: Premium
• Commercial Property: Corporate Occupiers
• Commercial Property: Development
• Debt Capital Markets
• Equity Capital Markets – Mid-Large Cap
• Financial Services: Contentious
• Infrastructure
• Life Sciences and Healthcare
• Oil and Gas
• Pensions: Dispute Resolution
• TMT

BAND 1

• Bank lending: Borrower side
• M&A
• Restructuring and insolvency

BAND 2

• Capital Markets : Equity
• Financial services regulatory : Contentious
• Financial services regulatory : Non-contentious

Leading firm for:

• Hong Kong – M&A – Band 1
• Hong Kong – Banking
• Hong Kong – Capital markets: Debt
• Hong Kong – Capital markets: Equity
• Hong Kong – Financial services regulatory
• Hong Kong - Private Equity
• China – M&A – Foreign
• China – Capital Markets – Foreign

Highly regarded lawyers are:

• Peter Brien - Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity, M&A
• Benita Yu - Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity, M&A
• Jason Webber – Private Equity
• Lisa Chung – Banking, Private Equity
• Peter Lake - Banking 
• John Moore - Capital Markets: Equity
• Natalie Yeung – Competition

Rising star partner:

• Chris McGaffin – M&A
• Jing Chen - Capital Markets: Equity

Rising star associate:

• Vincent Chan - M&A
• Jocelyn Poon - Banking

BAND 1

• Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Loans
• Competition Litigation
• Corporate Tax
• Employee Share Schemes
• EU and Competition
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory
• Fintech
• Insurance: Corporate and Regulatory
• IT and Telecoms
• M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals, £500M+
• Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime

BAND 2

• Commercial Property: Development
• Commercial Property: Corporate Occupiers
• Commercial Property: Investment
• Commercial Litigation: Premium
• Debt Capital Markets
• Equity Capital Markets – Mid-Large Cap
• Financial Services: Contentious
• Pensions: Dispute Resolution
• TMT

BAND 1

• Banking & Finance: Borrowers: Big-Ticket
• Competition Law
• Corporate/M&A: High-end Capability
• Financial Crime: Corporates
• Insurance: Non-contentious
• Retail: Corporate & Competition
• Tax

BAND 2

• Banking Litigation
• Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory (Corporates)
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory
• Litigation
• Outsourcing
• Pensions
• Restructuring/Insolvency
• Tax: Contentious

  Leading firm in Asia-Pacific Region for:

• Corporate/M&A

  Leading firm in China for:

• Corporate/M&A: The Elite (International Firms)
• Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms)  
• Competition/Antitrust (International Firms)
• Banking & Finance (International Firms)

Leading firm in India for:

• Corporate/M&A (International Firms) (Desk based Abroad in UK)

  Highly regarded lawyers are:

• Banking & Finance: Hong Kong-based (International Firms) - China - Peter Lake
• Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms) - China - Benita Yu and John Moore
• Competition/Antitrust (International Firms) - China - Natalie Yeung (Band 1)
• Corporate/M&A: Hong Kong-based (International Firms) - China - Benita Yu (Band 1), Lisa Chung, Jason Webber, and Chris McGaffin
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory (International Firms) - China - Peter Lake 

Top Bands for the following Hong Kong practice area:

• Corporate (including M&A) - Band 1
• Antitrust and Competition - Band 1
• Capital Markets (Equity)
• Banking and Finance
• Capital Markets (Debt)

Hong Kong Leading Lawyers are: 

• Corporate (including M&A) - Peter Brien
• Capital markets - Benita Yu, John Moore
• Antitrust and competition - Natalie Yeung

• We are continue to rank Tier 1 M&A law firm in Hong Kong.

Band 1

• Banking and Finance: Borrowers

• Competition Law

• Corporate M&A

• Financial Crime: Corporates

• Insurance: Non-contentious

• Retail: Corporate and Competition

• Tax

Band 2

• Banking Litigation

• Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory

• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory

• Litigation

• Outsourcing

• Pensions

• Tax: Contentious

Top band in Asia-Pacific Region for:

• Corporate/M&A

Top bands in China for:

• Corporate/M&A: The Elite (International Firms)
• Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms)  
• Competition/Antitrust (International Firms)  
• Banking & Finance (International Firms)  
• Capital Markets: Debt (International Firms)

Top band in India for:

• Corporate/M&A (International Firms) (Desk based Abroad in UK)

Our lawyers are in the top bands for:

• Banking & Finance: Hong Kong-based (International Firms) - China - Peter Lake
• Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms) - China - Benita Yu and John Moore
• Competition/Antitrust (International Firms) - China - Natalie Yeung
• Corporate/M&A: Hong Kong-based (International Firms) – China - Benita Yu, Lisa Chung, and Jason Webber
• Financial Services: Non-contentious Regulatory (International Firms) – China - Peter Lake

Band 1

• Corporate Tax

• EU and Competition

• M&A

• Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime

• Banking Litigation: Investment and retail

• Competition Litigation

• Tax Litigation and Investigations

• Bank Lending: Investment Grade Debt and Syndicated Loans

• Employee Share Schemes

• Pensions

• Insurance: Corporate and Regulatory

• Brexit

Band 2

• Commercial Contracts

• Equity Capital Markets

• Financial Services (contentious)

• Financial Services (non-contentious/regulatory)

• Commercial Litigation

• Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency

• Debt Capital Markets

• Structured Products and Securitisation

• Infrastructure (including PFI and PPP)

• Commercial Property (General/Corporate Occupiers)

• Commercial Property (Development)

• Commercial Property (Hotels and Leisure)

• Commercial Property (Investment)

• Fintech

• IT and Telecoms

Band 1

• Banking and Finance - Bank Lending: Borrower side

• Corporate and M&A: M&A

• Restructuring and insolvency - Restructuring: Corporate

Band 2

• Banking and Finance - Financial restructuring

• Capital Markets: Debt

• Capital Markets: Equity

• Capital Markets: Derivatives

• Capital Markets: Structured Finance and Securitisation

• Financial Services Regulatory: Contentious

• Financial Services Regulatory: Non-contentious

• Financial Restructuring

Top bands for:

• Hong Kong - M&A (Band 1)
• Hong Kong - Banking
• Hong Kong - Capital markets: Debt
• Hong Kong - Capital markets: Equity
• Hong Kong - Financial services regulatory
• Hong Kong - Private Equity
• Hong Kong - Project Finance
• China - M&A - Foreign
• China - Capital markets - Foreign

Highly regarded lawyers are:

• Lisa Chung - Banking and Private Equity
• Peter Lake - Banking
• John Moore - Capital Markets: Equity
• Charlton Tse - Capital Markets and M&A
• Jason Webber - Private Equity
• Benita Yu - Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity and M&A

Rising star:

• Chris McGaffin - M&A

The firm moved up over 20 places from the 2020-2021 Guide.

The firm won for its work advising RSA on its £7.2bn recommended cash offer in a category aimed at rewarding deals that foster sustainable growth.

• We have won the Competition & Antitrust awards.

The firm won for advising iNEOS on its $5 billion acquisition of BP’s global petrochemicals business, using legal innovation for this highly complex deal.

The firm won for its partnership with Clarilis, the winners of the 2020 Collaborate programme.

Restructuring and Insolvency partner Ian Johnson was named in the Lawyer's Hot 100 list of innovative and creative lawyers

We were ranked in 15th place in the Stonewall Top 100 Employers, the definitive list of the most LGBT+ inclusive employers in Britain.

The firm was Commended for Administrative & Public Law, Banking & Finance, Company & Commercial, Energy & Renewables, Financial Crime & Fraud & Regulatory, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Tax.

• The firm won Domestic Deal of the Year - Merger of Alawwal bank with The Saudi British Bank

• The firm won TMT Deal of the Year 2019 - Alibaba's strategic partnership with YOOX Net-A-Porter 
• The firm won Equity Securities Deal of the Year 2019 - Yancoal Australia Dual primary listing

Two other transactions the firm advised on were finalists:

• Finance Deal of the Year 2019 - MTR’s financial arrangements for the new $10.7 billion Express Rail Link
• Projects & Energy Deal of the Year 2019 - MTR Express Rail Link project

The firm won M&A Deal of the Year: North Asia - Takeda Pharmaceutical’s acquisition of Shire

The firm won M&A Deal of the Year: South Asia - Merger of Bharti Infratel and Indus Towers

We are in the top 20 Most Innovative Law Firms 2019 (International) category.

Under the section Legal Expertise, we were:

Commended for advising the Lai Sun Group in the section Enabling Business Growth and Transformation 

Commended for advising the Hong Kong Association of Banks in the section Enabling Business Growth and Transformation

Recognised as ‘Standout’ for advising Rolls-Royce on a divestment of its marine business; ‘Highly Commended’ acting for British Airways in its defence of £3.6bn of claims brought in the UK by international purchasers of airfreight, who alleged a cartel in the global air cargo market; and ‘Highly Commended’ for advising Orsted on its divestment of 50 per cent of the Hornsea 1 wind farm

We won the award for IP Transactions

Ranked in Stonewall Top 100 Employers for third consecutive year

• The firm won a Silver Award
• Benita Yu won a Silver Award
• Natalie Yeung won a Bronze Award

The Seadrill reorganisation on which the firm advised won Restructuring Deal of the Year. We represented Seadrill.

The firm won Domestic Deal of the Year for the merger of Alawwal bank with The Saudi British Bank.

India Business Law Journal Top International Lawyers for India 2019

Nilufer von Bismarck has been named by India Business Law Journal amongst the top 100 international lawyers for India-related matters – a definitive “A-List” of India specialists around the world.