Sidley Austin is preparing for a rush of client activity in China’s financial centre with the recent appointment of new corporate partner Joseph Chan in Shanghai.

Having worked on over US$41bn worth of private equity and capital markets transactions, Chan brings experience in the full life cycle of private equity funds from offshore and RMB fund formation and portfolio investments to M&A and capital markets. Chan has represented strategic buyers, funds, portfolio companies and investment banks in a variety of financings and acquisitions, and has also worked on numerous IPOs in Hong Kong.

He joins Sidley from Pillsbury’s Shanghai office. This makes Sidley the latest firm to benefit from the three defections at Pilsbury since June this year. In mid-June David Tang, former Pilsbury senior counsel, left the firm to join AllBright and in September Meg Utterback, former partner and co-chair of Pilsbury’s international arbitration practice, left to join King & Wood’s Shanghai office.

Chen now works alongside Tang Zhengyu, the chief representative and partner in charge of Sidley’s Shanghai office, and nine other legal professionals. ALB