LAWYER PROFILE
Howard Lam

Howard Lam

Greater China Region 2026

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Ranked in 2 practice areas

About

Provided by Latham & Watkins

Practice Areas

Howard Lam advises clients in China and across Asia on restructuring, special situations, private credit, and banking finance transactions.

In his restructuring practice, Howard draws on more than two decades of experience to guide all types of parties to a transaction, including:

- Creditors, particularly banks and credit funds

- Debtors

- Insolvency practitioners

- Bondholders

He regularly helps clients resolve a full range of difficult matters, including restructuring, bankruptcy, as well as distressed and other special situations. As a Mandarin and Cantonese speaker, trained in Hong Kong, UK, and Australian law, he brings a multicultural, multijurisdictional perspective to his matters. Familiar with the internal motivations and sensitivities of parties on all sides of a matter, he can help clients choose the best jurisdictions and legal regimes for implementing restructurings.

He complements his creative problem-solving and decisive recommendations with an ability to remain even-keeled and diffuse tension in high-stakes situations, and so bring parties together around a solution.

Howard is an INSOL Fellow and a regular speaker at international restructuring and insolvency conferences, and has served on the APLMA China and documentation committees, TMA Hong Kong board, and the executive committee of Restructuring and Insolvency Faculty (RIF).

In Howard’s financing practice, he advises private equity sponsors, banks, and private capital lenders on a full spectrum of complex financing structures, including:

- Leveraged buy-outs

- Corporate acquisition financings

- China onshore/offshore financing

- Margin loans

- Direct lending transactions

He draws on a keen sense of what is at market and insights from the firm’s global deal flow on cutting-edge financing terms to translate best practices in global jurisdictions to deals Asia.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Chambers Greater China Region

Restructuring/Insolvency (International Firms) - China

Band 2
Band 2

Individual Editorial

Howard Lam heads Latham & Watkins' restructuring and insolvency group. He remains sought after for his language skills and regularly advises on debt and bond restructurings, as well as enforcement matters.

Banking & Finance: Hong Kong-based (International Firms) - China

Band 4
Band 4

Individual Editorial
Howard Lam advises credit providers and banks on margin financing and private equity transactions as well as restructuring existing debt financing agreements.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Howard has a strong commercial sense and very sophisticated understanding of the legal framework and details of restructuring.

    Restructuring/Insolvency (International Firms)Chambers Greater China Region
  • Howard has good legal knowledge in cross-border insolvency matters.

    Restructuring/Insolvency (International Firms)Chambers Greater China Region
  • His responsiveness, clarity in communication and ability to handle intricate negotiations under pressure were greatly appreciated.

    Restructuring/Insolvency (International Firms)Chambers Greater China Region
  • He is highly commercial and experienced, as well as able to hand-hold a client that is not otherwise familiar with Hong Kong and mainland China matters.

    Banking & Finance: Hong Kong-based (International Firms)Chambers Greater China Region

Ranked Individuals at Latham & Watkins (23)

China

  • Profile image of Howard Lam
    Howard Lam

    Banking & Finance: Hong Kong-based (International Firms)

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  • Profile image of Andrew Bishop
    Andrew Bishop

    Banking & Finance: Leveraged & Acquisition Finance (International Firms)

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    Posit Laohaphan

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    Derek Chua

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    Raymond Cheng

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    Benjamin Su

    Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms)

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    Allen Wang

    Capital Markets: Equity (International Firms)

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    Terris Tang

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    Daying Zhang

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    Frank Sun

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    Simon Cooke

    Private Equity: Buyouts & Venture Capital Investment (International Firms)

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  • Profile image of Frank Sun
    Frank Sun

    Private Equity: Buyouts & Venture Capital Investment (International Firms)

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  • Profile image of Zhonghua (Stephen) Shi
    Zhonghua (Stephen) Shi

    Private Equity: Buyouts & Venture Capital Investment (International Firms)

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  • Profile image of Howard Lam
    Howard Lam

    Restructuring/Insolvency (International Firms)

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    Rhys McWhirter

    Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT) (International Firms)

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    Anthony Liu

    Technology, Media, Telecoms (TMT) (International Firms)

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    Rhys McWhirter

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