Cooley Is Launching In Hong Kong
29 March 2019
Cooley has announced plans to launch in Hong Kong. Following on the success of the firm’s Shanghai office, which opened in 2011, Cooley expanded its Asia-Pacific presence with its launch in Beijing in 2018. The firm represents many of Asia’s key tech and life sciences companies, advising on their financing, joint venture and other strategic transactions. In addition, Cooley has helped more than 80 fund managers form 100+ Chinese venture capital and private equity funds. It has been broadly recognized for its strong tech, life sciences and VC practices.
Leading Hong Kong corporate lawyer Will Cai is joining the firm from Skadden, where he had been a partner since 2014. Cai, who is qualified in the US and Hong Kong, has advised many companies on their landmark transactions across capital markets and M&A. He represents Chinese issuers and global investment banks in US and Hong Kong capital markets transactions. He frequently advises private equity funds and multinationals on their investments in the Greater China region, as well as Chinese companies on cross-border M&A work. Since 2008, he has worked on more than 40 completed IPOs in the US and Hong Kong capital markets.
Cooley has submitted an application with the Law Society of Hong Kong to form a registered foreign law firm as its Hong Kong office. Upon registration, it will enter into an association with Cai, Lee & Partners, the local Hong Kong solicitor’s firm recently formed by Cai and Cooley partner Pang Lee, who is also qualified in Hong Kong and whose work focuses on global private equity and venture capital fund formation matters. Both the registered foreign law firm and the association with the new local firm are subject to approval by the Law Society of Hong Kong. Cooley’s Beijing and Shanghai offices operate as representative offices of Cooley LLP.
