Linklaters has appointed capital markets partner William Liu as the chair of Asia, tasking him with advancing the firm’s strategy in this region.
Liu, with 26 years of legal experience, focuses on capital markets and advises government agencies, renowned corporates and financial institutions on major transactions across Asia. He has acted as international legal counsel on all offshore offerings by China’s Ministry of Finance since 2009.
He joined Linklaters as a lawyer in 1998 and became an associate in 2000. He was promoted to partner in 2008, based in Shanghai, before relocating to Hong Kong in 2011. He served as head of China from 2018 until 2024, when Andrew Chung succeeded him. In parallel, he served as Asia head of capital markets and was appointed regional managing partner for Asia in 2021.
His recent work includes advising on Country Garden’s USD17.7 billion offshore debt restructuring, New World Development’s HKD88.2 billion (USD11.3 billion) refinancing and liability management, as well as Cathay Pacific’s HKD39 billion recapitalisation.
Liu will work closely with senior partner and chair Aedamar Comiskey, firmwide managing partner Paul Lewis, the executive committee and the wider leadership team to strengthen Linklaters’ market presence, drive continued investment in talent, and enhance the firm’s capabilities in Asia.
“Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world, and our commitment and confidence in it remains as strong as ever,” said Liu in a press release. “We are continuing to invest and deepen our roots in the region, including new and upgraded premises in Singapore and Shanghai.”
Liu’s appointment reflects Linklaters’ effort to stabilise its Asia team and reinforce the regional leadership. Last year, the firm saw several departures from its Hong Kong office, including partner Sherry Cui(in June), Hong Kong head of technology, media and telecoms Albert Yuen(in June), Asia head of structured finance and derivatives Liew Chin-chong (in July) and counsel Simon Zhang (in July).
