U.S. firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton has recruited M&A specialist Ling Huang from rival firm Shearman & Sterling as a partner at its Beijing office.
Huang, who has practised at Shearman & Sterling’s Beijing office for 14 years, works with Chinese and international clients on M&A and inbound and outbound private equity transactions. Her recent work covers a range of industries including insurance, telecommunications, aviation, energy, and financial services.
Qualified in New York, Huang’s arrival serves as a boost to Cleary Gottlieb, which has more than 55 lawyers in Hong Kong and Beijing, including 11 partners.
“The addition of Ling demonstrates our continued deep commitment to our practice in Asia where we have had a continuous presence for more than 30 years,” said Cleary Gottlieb managing partner Mark Leddy in a statement. “It follows the firm’s launch of a local law practice in Hong Kong in early 2011, and an announcement of our intention to open an office in Seoul later this year.”
Cleary Gottlieb plans to become one of the first U.S. law firms to open a Seoul office following the signing of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement in November last year. The agreement allows U.S. law firms to partner with Korean firms in two years, and then from 2017, merge with Korean firms or hire local lawyers. ALB
Kanishk Verghese is North Asia journalist at ALB. Follow him on Twitter: @ALB_Magazine.
Other related stories:
