Slaughter and May

Firm Overview 

Slaughter and May is a leading international law firm with a worldwide corporate, commercial and financing practice. The firm is recognised throughout the business and legal community for its ability to help its clients realise and develop commercial opportunities, no matter how challenging the setting.

As the first British law firm to establish an office in Hong Kong, Slaughter and May have a long-standing presence in Asia, opening its Hong Kong office in 1974 and Beijing office in 2009, and have accumulated nearly 50 years of experience in providing high-quality legal services to corporates, multinational corporates, and clients in China and around the world. The Slaughter and May team in Hong Kong and Beijing advise on the full spectrum of legal issues, from M&A, capital markets to foreign direct investment approval, antitrust, financial regulation to financing, disputes, regulatory / investigations, and real estate. The firm is seen as a trusted adviser to many Hong Kong listed companies, leading corporates, and more than 100 companies on the FTSE Eurofirst 300 and the Fortune 500, and we advise these clients across the full spectrum of their strategic transactions and legal needs.

Main Area of Practice in China and Asia 

• Corporate and M&A: advise on all aspects of mergers and acquisitions, often involving multiple jurisdictions. The firm has experience of all types of corporate and commercial work, including general advice on listing, governance and board matters, joint ventures and other strategic co-operation arrangements and restructurings.
• Competition: advise on all aspects of competition law in Asia and work as an integrated team with Slaughter and May offices in London and Brussels. The firm has been at the forefront of Hong Kong’s sector-specific competition practice and in the Asia Pacific region, their experience includes cross-border mergers and merger control regulation, competition litigation, including appeals and private actions, and antitrust advice.
• Disputes and Investigations: advise on a wide range of matters, including commercial and financial disputes, shareholder disputes, commercial fraud, domestic and international arbitrations, regulatory and other formal inquiries and investigations and judicial review.
• Equity and Debt Capital Markets: the firm has extensive experience of equity and debt capital markets transactions, handling primary and secondary offerings in many different industry sectors and acting for both issuers and underwriters, as well as advising on bond issues and debt programmes. The firm provides US, Hong Kong and English law capabilities for capital markets transactions in Hong Kong.
• Financing: advise major corporates, banks and other financiers on a full range of financing transactions across various industries. The firm is well-versed in the evolving area of sustainability “ESG” financing, advising on green and other sustainable transactions and helping clients to navigate potential issues and to identify novel solutions.
• Private Equity: advise on the full range of transactions, from venture capital investments to cross-border deals and from initial investment all the way through to exit.
• Real Estate: the firm has a substantial property practice which covers commercial and residential property work, including property development and financing acquisitions and disposals and REITs

Innovation 

Throughout its history, Slaughter and May has both supported and practised entrepreneurialism and innovation. It recognises the value innovation can bring to complement its traditional strengths and support its lawyers to deliver the best in class, business-focused advice on which its reputation is built.

The firm’s initiatives include its emerging tech programme, its legal tech incubator, and its regular thought leadership publications and innovation and emerging tech blog. For Slaughter and May, innovation means using its creative problem solving skills to identify areas for improvement and find new ways of working which add value for its clients.

Global Challenge 

Slaughter and May advises on significant international mandates involving over 140 countries annually. The firm’s international approach is driven by the fundamental principle that complex cross-border matters require first-class legal expertise rooted in a deep knowledge of local practice, procedures and culture. The firm’s global reach matches its clients’ requirements wherever in the world. It works with the best lawyers around the world and acts as lead international counsel to deliver innovative solutions to its clients’ challenges.

A Reputation for Excellence 

Slaughter and May has a global reputation for providing exceptional legal service. The firm is known for their commitment to excellence and ability to find innovative solutions to the most complex legal problems on an international scale. The firm's reputation is consolidated by its rankings in the legal directories and its pre-eminent position in numerous league tables. The firm acts for more FTSE 350 companies than any other law firms and has also received a number of awards both for it legal work and contribution to its community, including commitment to diversity and inclusion.