The Financial Times Recognizes Paul Hastings for Innovation in Asia

May 06, 2019

Hong Kong – Paul Hastings, a leading global law firm, announced today that the firm is ranked as one of the top 10 most innovative internationally headquartered firms by the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Asia-Pacific 2019.

The report particularly recognized the firm for five projects:

Enabling Business Growth and Transformation: Highly Commended

Helped investment fund manager CDH acquire Australia-based medical device company Sirtex Medical. The firm secured financing from Bank of China and midsized Chinese banks to structure an attractive joint offer with partners China Grand Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Holdings, which gives Sirtex access to the Chinese healthcare market.

Accessing New Markets and Capital: Commended

Represented underwriters Citigroup and Goldman Sachs on the US$1 billion global depositary receipts offering by Kakao Corp, the leading operator of mobile and online platforms in South Korea. This was the largest overseas-listed equity offering by a South Korean issuer in a decade. The GDRs were listed on the Singapore Exchange while the underlying common shares are listed on the Korea Exchange.

Data, Knowledge and Intelligence - Commended

Implemented a global overhaul of legal project management including dashboards, eLearning and practice area-specific information toolkits to bring together best practices and help guide junior lawyers through matters such as initial public offerings.

Managing Complexity and Scale - Commended

Helped Cosco, the Chinese state-owned shipping group, take over shipping company Orient Overseas in a deal valued at US$6.3 billion. To overcome regulatory hurdles, the deal included a pre-conditional voluntary general cash offer and a complex structure to remain compliant with the Hong Kong Exchange regulations.
Advised Fosun International in the spin-off and listing of subsidiary Fosun Tourism Group on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, navigating cultural differences and the complex minority shareholder structure of its French subsidiary Club Med. Hong Kong office capital markets partner Jason Kuo is specially commended in the Financial Times’ report.

These results follow Paul Hastings being named by the Financial Times as one of the Top 10 firms for innovation in North America and Europe.

The Financial Times’ report is one of the top legal rankings in Asia-Pacific region and highly regarded around the world. Shortlists for the awards comprise the top-scoring submissions in each ranking after conducting interviews with more than 400 clients, senior lawyers, executives and experts.

At Paul Hastings, our purpose is clear — to help our clients and people navigate new paths to growth. With a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the U.S., Paul Hastings is recognized as one of the world’s most innovative global law firms.