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Leading international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has announced the promotion of six new counsel in Asia, as part of a global promotion round of 34 new counsel.
The new counsel are based in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo, with all promotions effective 1 May 2024.
| Name | Location | Specialism |
|---|---|---|
| Maisie Ko | Hong Kong | Capital Markets |
| Sornnarin Kongkasem | Bangkok | Commercial Litigation |
| Chee Hian Kwah | Prolegis LLC, Singapore | Financial Services Regulatory |
| Junyeon Park | Tokyo | Corporate Crime and Investigations |
| Marcus Wong | Hong Kong | Debt Capital Markets |
| Yida Xu | Hong Kong | Energy |
Asia managing partner Graeme Preston said, "Our counsel play a crucial role in growing our business across the busy Asia market.
"Their experience and leadership are critical to the development of their practices and teams, working alongside partners to mentor junior lawyers as well as delivering results for clients.
"Our new counsel are experts in their fields and leaders in their teams – a combination that helps us deliver exceptional results for our clients across the region."
Maisie Ko, Hong Kong
Maisie is an experienced corporate lawyer advising on initial public offerings and listed issuer compliance matters. She advises banks and underwriters and works closely with issuers in various sectors, in particular the biotechnology and healthcare sectors. Her secondments to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and an international investment bank enable her to provide unique insights to clients. Maisie is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong.
Sornnarin Kongkasem, Bangkok
Sornnarin is a disputes lawyer advising on commercial litigation. His expertise spans domestic and cross-border dispute resolution, commercial, employment, construction, bankruptcy, rehabilitation, TMT, insurance, and financial litigation. He guides clients through the entire dispute resolution process and provides counsel on administrative law, corporate matters, corporate governance, director liability, compliance projects, and concession and product liability. Sornnarin is a notarial services attorney, qualified as a Thai Barrister-at-Law, and is a current member of the Thai Bar Association. He is fluent in Thai and English.
Chee Hian Kwah, Prolegis LLC, Singapore**
Chee Hian specialises in financial service regulations and advises on both contentious and non-contentious matters in the financial services regulatory space. He advises financial institution clients across a broad range of issues, such as licensing applications, structuring of business, business conduct rules, product offering rules and anti-money laundering and counter-financing terrorism compliance. He has also assisted financial institutions with internal investigations and regulatory enquiries in relation to senior employee misconduct, breaches in relation to anti-money laundering regulations and failures to comply with ongoing business conduct requirements. He is admitted to practice law in Singapore.
Junyeon Park, Tokyo
Junyeon is a disputes lawyer specialising in corporate crime and investigations, particularly anti-bribery and anticorruption legislation compliance. She also conducts compliance assessments and has extensive experience in US litigation and international arbitration involving global businesses. Junyeon is fluent in English, Korean and Japanese and is a New York-registered lawyer. She is licensed to advise in Japan as a Registered Foreign Lawyer (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi). Junyeon worked as a foreign service officer for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea before attending law school.
Marcus Wong, Hong Kong*
Marcus is a finance lawyer specialising in debt capital markets transactions. He has extensive experience advising issuers, arrangers and, in particular, corporate trustees. He has advised clients across a range of industry sectors, including energy, financial institutions, public infrastructure, manufacturing and industrials, transport, consumer, gaming, and real estate. Marcus is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong.
Yida Xu, Hong Kong*
Yida is a corporate lawyer in the energy sector. He has extensive experience in a wide range of international projects and M&A in the energy industry, including concession agreements, joint ventures, development of projects, commercial agreements in commodities trading, and services agreements. Yida graduated with a bachelor's degree in law from Beijing Foreign Studies University and a master's degree in law from the University of Oxford. He is qualified to practice in Hong Kong and England and Wales, with a Certificate of Legal Professional Qualification in China. Yida is a native Mandarin speaker and is fluent in English, Japanese and French.
*To meet local regulatory requirements, Maisie Ko, Marcus Wong and Yida Xu's titles will be Senior Consultant.
**Prolegis LLC is the Formal Law Alliance partner of Herbert Smith Freehills in Singapore. Chee Hian Kwah will hold the title of Director at that firm.
Media contact
For further information on this news article, please contact:
Sally Greig
Head of Communications, Asia
Hong Kong
Media contact
For further information on this news article, please contact:
Dora Cheok
Senior Communications Manager, Asia
Singapore
Vivian Huang
Communications Manager, China
Beijing
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