Offshore - Asia-Pacific Region
What the team is known for
Walkers houses a pre-eminent team with impressive knowledge across BVI and Cayman law. The group is active in structured and asset finance, including aviation and ESG matters, as well as capital markets. The bench also possesses considerable investment fund capabilities and a notable corporate/M&A offering. In the meantime, Walkers also maintains a leading litigation practice that is active on shareholder disputes and contractual disputes for investment banks, funds, companies and insolvency practitioners. The team is well equipped to provide Bermuda law advice, working closely with the Walkers Bermuda team, and offering capability locally through the secondment of Bermuda-qualified practitioners to the Hong Kong office. The group serves an impressive list of private equity and hedge funds, financial institutions and corporations. Clients also benefit from its multilingual practitioners, including a number of Mandarin and Cantonese speakers. Walkers has major financial institutions such as China CITIC Bank International, Citibank and Credit Suisse as its core clients.
Strengths
"They are very experienced and well known for handling these complex and challenging cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters."
"They are among the best in this space and always seek to find a good solution to complex situations."
"They are at the top of their game in fund financing, for instance. Their transactional and execution capabilities are also extremely good, being super responsive."
Work highlights
Walkers advised Fullerton Healthcare Corporation and several of its lenders on the Cayman aspect of its merger with Fullerton Healthcare following RRJ Capital's financing. The team dealt with the winding-up petition brought by co-founders before Cayman Islands courts prior to the merger.
Notable practitioners
Andy Randall is the managing partner of the Hong Kong office. He is well recognised for his capital markets work, regularly advising on secured note issuances, securitisations and derivatives transactions. "Andy is our go-to lawyer. We have worked with him for many years. He knows our business and issues, and is extremely responsive, commercial and client-focused."
John Rogers is a well-regarded figure in the offshore legal world. He leads Walkers' Singapore office as the managing partner and offers expert advice on finance and corporate transactions. "It is comfortable working with him as he is responsive and he delivers what we need."
James Gaden is a Hong Kong-based lawyer who has an established corporate and investment funds practice. He has extensive experience advising private equity and hedge fund managers on various fund formation, structuring and investment matters. "He is an excellent legal counsel with a very client-oriented approach and timely responses."
Paul Aherne is highly rated for his adept handling of corporate and financing transactions. He is regularly engaged by financial institutions and large corporations. "Paul is one of my go-to people on Cayman and BVI matters." "Paul is a very consistent advisor for offshore matters."
Tom Pugh frequently advises creditors with regard to debtor negotiations, liquidations, restructurings and recovery matters. He comes recommended for his handling of multi-jurisdictional matters. "Tom is a highly regarded lawyer in the Hong Kong market, having deep experience across a variety of matters. He is well known as a cross-border insolvency and restructuring specialist who provides focused advice in a timely manner."
Thomas Granger is based in the Hong Kong office and offers advice on private equity and investment fund matters. He is known for his adept handling of Japan-related work.