K&L Gates has strengthened its capital markets practice bench in Hong Kong with the addition of Janney Chong, a former Sidley Austin and RPC partner, with decades-long Greater China deal experience. Chong was most recently a partner and corporate finance department member at independent Hong Kong law firm Robertsons.
Vincent Tso, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Hong Kong office, told Asia Business Law Journal that his firm remained committed to the Hong Kong market as a key global hub for IPOs and other transactions having had a presence in the city for nearly three decades.
Chong had a strong understanding of the Hong Kong listing regime and broader Asia-Pacific market dynamics, bolstering the US firm’s capital markets capabilities in the Greater Bay Area along with her team, added Tso.
“Janney works closely with issuers, underwriters, and other advisers to deliver commercial legal solutions that are aligned with the evolving market and global capital flows,” said Tso.
Chong’s expertise in equity capital markets, particularly in Greater China, is built on more than two decades of experience having practised as a partner at the Hong Kong office of international law firms such as Sidley Austin and RPC.
Chong joined RPC in 2017 after a 12-year stint at Sidley Austin, where she focussed on advising mainland Chinese businesses on IPOs, fundraisings and M&A deals. By then, she had acted on more than 30 IPOs in Hong Kong during her legal career.
Dual qualified in Hong Kong and England and Wales, Chong passed the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area legal professional examination in 2023, meaning that she can deal with civil and commercial legal matters in the nine mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area.
At K&L Gates, Chong will be supported by associate Jessica Choi and counsel Sophie Chu, who joined the US firm earlier this year. Formerly a senior counsel at the Hong Kong office of Akin Gump, Chu specialises in advising on IPOs in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the US as well as high-yield bond offering projects, while working closely with companies in Greater China in sectors including technology, semiconductor and financial services.
