Orrick has hired Latham & Watkins' partner William Chun Fai Woo to join its Hong Kong capital markets practice.
Woo, who has practiced in Hong Kong for over a decade, joined magic circle firm Allen & Overy in 1997, where he later became partner. In 2008 he moved to Latham & Watkins along with six other senior-level lawyers in what remains one of the largest en masse lateral hires in Hong Kong.
Woo, who specialises in capital markets, particularly corporate matters involving Hong Kong listed companies, has worked on numerous significant deals, including advising the underwriters in last year's US$8.9bn Bank of China A + H share offering. Woo also represented the underwriters in Trony Solar Holdings Company's US$223m IPO on the main board of the HKSE in October 2010. In addition, he advised the sponsor in the additional primary listing of Singapore-listed China New Town Development Company on the main board of the HKSE - this transaction was one of the first listings of a BVI company on the HKSE.
Woo's appointment marks the second time this year that Orrick has looked Latham & Watkins for a lateral hire. In March, the firm hired Jeffrey Sun Jie as a partner in its China corporate group. Sun was a formerly a Shanghai-based counsel with Latham & Watkins.ALB
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