史密夫斐尔律师事务所近日任命艾迈修律师为大中华区管理合伙人。原大中华区管理合伙人戴枫媚（May Tai）已升任该所亚洲区管理合伙人。艾迈修律师专注于企业融资业务，近期刚刚参与了沛嘉医疗23.4亿港元IPO项目。在本次专访中，艾迈修律师分享了史密夫斐尔在大中华区的优势，以及律所在这一地区的当务之急。
ALB：祝贺您出任大中华区管理合伙人。您对史密夫斐尔大中华区近期和中期的重点工作安排包括哪些？
艾迈修律师：虽然今年年初爆发了新冠疫情，但对于史密夫斐尔的中国业务而言，2020年仍然是繁忙的一年。今年8月，史密夫斐尔和科伟在上海自贸区开设的联营办公室将迎来周年庆。在不到一年的时间里，两家律所在多个跨境交易和争议解决项目中密切合作；双方团队均加入了新的合伙人及律师。我们目前的策略是，通过这一平台进一步巩固和提高我们在中国法律市场的影响力。
ALB：在您看来，贵所在大中华区具有哪些优势？反之，在哪些方面可以改进？
艾迈修律师：过去的五年中，我们一直在整个亚洲扩展平台、扩充员工，而中国一直是这一扩张计划中的关键部分。我们在跨领域交易和争议解决业务方面处于领先地位。进入中国市场近40年以来，我们的本地团队在提供法律解决方案和跨司法管辖区经验方面具有得天独厚的优势。我们在中国的本地办公室建立了强大的人才库，为客户提供有力的支持；我们将继续在人才方面加大投入，以满足不断增长的需求。
ALB：过去几周内，一些国际律所相继削减了其在大中华区的业务。您对史密夫斐尔在该地区的稳定和增长有何看法？您打算采取哪些巩固措施？
艾迈修律师：即使在疫情爆发期间，我们在亚洲的业务也一直非常忙碌，其中大部分业务来自于老客户的常规工作。而现在，我们已经开始看到有越来越多由疫情直接导致的案件——从支付和交付争议，到融资和企业重建资产负债表、并为新的机会做准备等等。以此为基础，我们看到了极佳的增长空间。我们还将积极创新服务方式，例如：我们的全球替代性法律服务 (ALT) 部门，已经在中国市场为客户提供高效、经济的解决方案。预计在未来几年里，我们将在对业务进行数字化升级改造方面做更多的工作。
‘OUR STRATEGY NOW IS TO CONSOLIDATE AND STRENGTHEN’
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF’s) recently appointed Matt Emsley as its China managing partner. The corporate finance lawyer, who most recently acted on Chinese biotech firm Peijia Medical’s HK$2.34 billion (US$302 million) Hong Kong IPO, succeeds May Tai, who recently became the firm’s Asia managing partner. Here Emsley talks about HSF’s strengths in China, as well as his immediate priorities.
ALB：Congratulations on your new role. What are your immediate and medium-term priorities for HSF in Greater China?
Emsley: 2020 has been a busy year for Herbert Smith Freehills in China despite the pandemic. Significantly our joint operation with Kewei in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone celebrates its first anniversary in August. In less than a year, both firms have collaborated closely on multiple cross-border transactions and disputes, along with a number of partner promotions and new hires on both teams. Our strategy now is to consolidate and strengthen through this platform and deepen our presence in Chinese legal market further.
ALB：What are some of the strengths of the firm in Greater China? Conversely, what are some of the areas for improvement that you feel you can work on?
Emsley: We have spent the last five years expanding our platform and people across Asia, and China has been a critical part of this expansion. We are market leaders in transactional and disputes matters across multiple sectors. With almost four decades of experience in China, our local teams have innate advantages in legal know-how and cross-jurisdiction experience. Building a strong talent pool in local offices has benefitted clients, and we will continue to invest in our people to meet growing demand.
ALB：The past few weeks have seen a few international firms cut back on their Greater China presence. How well-placed do you feel HSF is for stability and growth in the region? What more would you like to do to cement it?
Emsley: Our business has remained busy in Asia even through the pandemic, with much of the work coming from established clients on business-as-usual matters. Now we are beginning to see an increase in work directly from the pandemic – from disputes over payments and deliveries to financing and corporate work to rebuild balance sheets and prepare for new opportunities. We are in an excellent position to grow from here. Adding innovation to our service delivery – such as our ALT managed legal services business in China – has already given our clients efficient and economical solutions. I expect that we'll we be doing even more to digitally transform our business in the years ahead.
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