Harneys

Under the effective leadership of ‘solutions-oriented’ managing partner Paul Sephton, the ’commercial, user-friendly and hardworking’ group of lawyers based in Harneys‘ Hong Kong office ’continues to be at the head of the pack, in terms of service and breadth and the services offered’. Maggie Kwok heads the overarching transactional offering and continues to pick up considerable deal flow from Chinese fund managers which are appreciative of her strong language skills, knowledge of Mainland cultural and business intricacies and legal proficiency. On the regulatory front, BVI counsel Mirza Manraj provides ‘very user-friendly commercial advice’ across a range of issues, including in the context of the fintech space and regularly works alongside the funds team to provide regulatory advice pursuant to fund establishment and on ongoing operational issues. The ’responsive and commercial’Raymond Ng takes the lead on the most significant corporate work handled by the team, regularly handling strategic and private equity-led M&A. Unsurprisingly, in light of the recent economic headwinds, the firm’s restructuring and litigation practices have been particularly active over the past 12 months, including handling company/IP side work and creditor mandates across a range of sectors, including real estate. Dedicated restructuring head Chai Ridgers excels in big-ticket cross-border mandates, including his recent high-profile engagement for the ad hoc group of bondholders’ in relation to the $22.7bn restructuring of China Evergrande’s offshore liabilities. The ‘responsive and dedicated’ Ian Mann was also involved in the aforementioned matter, a reflection of his strong overarching litigation skills which as well as contentious insolvency matters also regularly see him involved in shareholder and private client disputes. The ’knowledgeable, responsive and approachable’ Julie Engwirda is noted for her insolvency and fund disputes prowess, while the ‘exceptional’ Paula Kay is praised for her ’strategic nous’ across a range of commercial litigation, including on dissenting shareholder disputes.