DLA Piper has strengthened its capital markets capabilities in Hong Kong and Chinese mainland with two major hires. Sherlyn Lau, formerly a partner at Sidley Austin, joined the firm’s Hong Kong office as the head of capital markets and corporate finance, Asia Pacific, along with a 12-member team of capital markets practitioners. Charles Ching, previously Asia managing partner at Weil, also joined DLA Piper.
Lau told China Business Law Journal: “DLA Piper has a truly global platform that aligns with the increasingly cross?border nature of capital markets work. What really drew me to the firm was the strong sense of collaboration and partnership across offices and practice groups. The firm has been strategically investing in its corporate and ECM capabilities, both globally and in Asia, and it felt like the right environment for my practice to continue growing.”
Lau’s move comes amid recent personnel changes at Sidley’s Hong Kong office, where several partners and counsel, including Renee Xiong, Alan Wong and Huberta Chow, departed between October last year and January this year.
Before joining DLA Piper, Lau spent nearly two decades at Sidley, where her practice spanned Hong Kong IPOs, M&A, secondary equity fundraisings, listing rules compliance and pre-IPO private placements. She was named deputy head of Sidley’s multidisciplinary China corporate and finance practice in 2021 and joined the firm’s executive committee the following year.
Her track record includes complex, cross-sector deals across industries, including real estate, life sciences and biotech, emerging tech and e-commerce. Lau’s notable recent mandates include Tianyu Semiconductor’s USD215 million Hong Kong listing and Jiaxin International Resources Investment’s USD153 million dual primary listing in Hong Kong and on the Astana International Exchange in Kazakhstan.
Ching brings 22 years of experience advising financial sponsors and corporate clients on cross-border M&A and investment transactions, with a focus on private equity in Asia, M&A involving Asian investors and regional joint ventures.
He began his career at Cravath Swaine & Moore in New York, where he practised for six years, followed by five years at Freshfields’ Hong Kong office, where he became a partner. He then spent a decade at Weil, working across Shanghai and Hong Kong, until joining DLA Piper. He will be based in Washington and travel regularly to Greater China.
Ching’s recent representative deals include advising Energy Monster on its USD327 million privatisation and Advent International’s investment in VNU Exhibitions Asia.
Both Lau and Ching have received CBLJ’s The A-List Award for several consecutive years.
