Sidley Austin
Client SatisfactionSidley Austin has a strong international arbitration presence in Hong Kong and the wider Asia Pacific, handling many high value bet-the-company cross-border mandates. Catering to an impressive roster of blue-chip clients, Chinese corporate and SOEs, the practice has a particular strength in life sciences, private equity, real estate and financial services. Friven Yeoh heads the international arbitration offering in Asia, conducting high-stake arbitrations under various rules including ICC, HKIAC, CIETAC, SIAC, and UNCITRAL. Commercial arbitration expert Desmond Ang has particular expertise in disputes involving investments with companies in China, Taiwan and Japan. Yan Zhang has also built a solid reputation in the market, particularly in the fields of private equity and life sciences.
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Sidley Austin's Hong Kong arbitration team is a very experienced group working in the largest international commercial arbitration disputes in Asia. They deliver as lead counsel and co-counsel.’
‘Friven Yeoh is the partner whose work I know best - having first worked with him about 20 years ago. My recent experience of his work is as lead counsel in disputes where I am arbitrator. He is highly efficient, very thorough, a good lawyer, and an experienced and effective tactician.’
‘Global layout, close cooperation between Chinese and American teams.’
‘Sidley has an unusually broad and diverse arbitration practice worldwide, with teams in all the most important jurisdictions. Their team in Hong Kong is especially deep and experienced in the China-related arbitrations that appear to dominate their practice there.’
‘Sidley's practice leader in Hong Kong is Friven Yeoh, an arbitration specialist with more than two decades experience in Hong Kong. He has successfully led teams on multi-billion cases, drawing on expertise from more junior attorneys with backgrounds in common law jurisdictions, China, and SE Asian jurisdictions.’
‘Sidley's international arbitration members have diverse backgrounds, including lawyers practicing in multiple common law jurisdictions and mainland China, and have advantages in handling cross-border and transnational arbitration cases. In addition, Sidley has cooperated with experts in many fields, including foreign law, damages, etc., and can recommend suitable experts and maintain good communication and exchanges with experts, which is of great help in advancing the case.’
‘I have worked with attorney Yan Zhang and her team. She has a good grasp of the facts of the case. In addition to fully considering the legal point of view, she is also able to seek the most suitable solution for the client from a commercial perspective and provide the client with a comprehensive analysis.’
‘Friven Yeoh's team exhibits high levels of professionalism and diligence. They are intimately familiar with the arbitration process and possess a comprehensive understanding and mastery of the provisions. Moreover, they proactively provide valuable services to their clients.'
Key clients
- I-Mab Biopharma Co., Ltd.
Work highlights
- Represented life sciences company I-Mab Biopharma Co., Ltd. (“I-Mab”) in a nine-figure international arbitration against Tracon Pharmaceuticals.
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
Friven Yeoh