HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--International law firm Sidley Austin LLP has announced that Alan Linning joined the Firm’s Hong Kong Office effective July 1 as a partner in the Firm’s commercial litigation and regulatory practice.

Mr. Linning has practiced for 25 years in litigation and contentious regulatory matters, over 20 years of which have been in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Sidley, Mr. Linning was Managing Director and Head of Asia Regional Compliance at JPMorgan Chase, a position that he held since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Linning served for over four years as Executive Director of Enforcement and a Board Member at the Securities and Futures Commission (the “SFC”), Hong Kong’s securities regulator. Before joining the SFC, Mr. Linning was the co-head of the disputes resolution practice in the Hong Kong office of a well-known international law firm. Mr. Linning is qualified to practice Hong Kong law and is also admitted in Australia and Scotland.

Sidley’s China Region Managing Partner, Bill Fifield said, “Recent economic conditions are leading to increased regulation of the financial markets and financial institutions. Mr. Linning will advise clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters and compliance issues; regulatory policies and developments; and preventative advice in response to new laws, regulations, guidelines, codes, and disciplinary decisions or judicial decisions. He will assist Sidley clients in responding to formal and informal regulatory inquiries and investigations, and represent them or their employees in regulatory action, if necessary. Mr. Linning will also advise corporations, creditors and liquidators on a range of insolvency-related issues as well as on general commercial litigation matters.”

Constance Choy, Sidley’s lead Hong Kong corporate finance partner and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee, commented, “We are delighted that Alan has decided to join Sidley. He deepens the pool of talent we have in Hong Kong, and his appointment demonstrates the Firm’s commitment to assisting clients in Asia with their regulatory and compliance issues and the disputes that may arise from them.”

Tom Albrecht, a member of Sidley’s Management Committee, added, “Throughout Asia, our clients are coping with a more complex regulatory environment and the current economic conditions have also triggered an increased amount of litigation and other enforcement actions. Alan has a wealth of experience and a terrific reputation in all of these substantive areas, and he will be an important resource for our corporate finance, investment funds and restructuring practices. Alan is a wonderful addition to our team.”

Mr. Linning has gained in-depth experience working with the region’s commercial and finance sectors, as well as in government and with the regulators which he once led. At JPMorgan Chase, he managed a team which covered 14 countries in the region; advised on regulatory and compliance matters and compliance reform; managed the core compliance functions of Anti Money Laundering, Disclosure of Interests, Personal Account Dealing, Code of Conduct and FCPA; and advised on reputation risk issues.

At the SFC, Mr. Linning ran the Enforcement Division of the SFC, responsible for all aspects of policy and enforcement of the SFC’s statutory powers under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO). As a Member of the SFC Board, he was involved in directing the discharge of its statutory objectives, in the formulation and implementation of strategy, and in all major policy initiatives in the Hong Kong financial markets.

Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world's largest full-service law firms, with approximately 1800 lawyers practicing in 16 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Every year since 2003, Sidley has been named to Legal Business’ Global Elite, its designation for firms “that define the pinnacle of the legal profession.” BTI, a Boston-based consulting and research firm, has named Sidley to their Client Service Hall of Fame as one of only two law firms to rank in the Client Service Top 10 for seven years in a row, and to the BTI Power Elite as one of only seven law firms demonstrating the best client relationships for four consecutive years.

Sidley’s Hong Kong litigation lawyers work regularly with the Firm’s offices throughout its global network, operating across a truly varied range of industry sectors and representing clients on commercial litigation, regulation, international arbitration and other forms of dispute resolution. The group’s work includes corporate and commercial dispute resolution, U.S. securities litigation, stock exchange, SEC, SFC and other regulatory investigations, as well as intellectual property, insolvency, antitrust, construction, insurance, shipping, international trade and employment matters. Lawyers on the team are qualified to practice Hong Kong, English and U.S. law. In addition to traditional litigation, the team also represents clients in disputes brought to arbitration in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Europe and elsewhere, under various regimes.

For purposes of the New York State Bar rules, this press release may be considered Attorney Advertising and the headquarters of the firm are Sidley Austin LLP 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 212.839.5300 and Sidley Austin LLP One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603, 312.853.7000. Prior results described herein do not guarantee a similar outcome.