HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP announced today that it is taking a major step forward in its long-standing commitment to the Asian markets with the arrival of Bonnie YT Chan and Antony Dapiran as partners. Their moves come on the heels of Davis Polk’s decision to practice Hong Kong law – a development that will provide the firm’s sophisticated client base with an even broader platform from which to serve their increasingly complex needs, particularly in capital markets and M&A.

Bonnie YT Chan has served since 2007 as Senior Vice President, Listing Division, of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx), as leader of HKEx’s IPO Transactions Department. Prior to joining HKEx, Ms. Chan served as Executive Director of the Legal and Compliance Department of Morgan Stanley’s Hong Kong office, where she led the legal coverage team for the investment banking division in Asia. Ms. Chan previously worked at Deutsche Bank, where she was responsible for origination and execution of equity and equity-linked transactions across Asia. Ms. Chan will commence work at Davis Polk starting December, 2010.

Antony Dapiran, who joins Davis Polk from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where he most recently served as managing partner of the Beijing office, is regarded as one of the premier corporate lawyers in China. The initial public offerings on which he has worked have totaled more than $57 billion in value alone. He has most recently advised Agricultural Bank of China on its $22 billion IPO and dual Hong Kong and Shanghai listing, the largest IPO ever. Mr. Dapiran also represented the underwriters on the IPO of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the world’s largest IPO at that time and the first simultaneous Hong Kong and Shanghai dual listing.

John R. Ettinger, Managing Partner of Davis Polk, said: “Bonnie and Antony are both outstanding lawyers and leading figures in the Hong Kong and China market. They are ideal additions to our team.”

Davis Polk partner William F. Barron, who heads the firm’s Asian practice, said: “Many of us at Davis Polk have worked with Bonnie and Antony for many years. We have come to greatly admire not only their exceptional skill and knowledge, particularly in complex securities matters, but also the hands-on and collaborative approach that each shares. Both are excellent cultural and strategic fits for our law firm.”

“Davis Polk is the leading international securities practice in Hong Kong and as such is the perfect platform for me to combine the skills and experience I have gained from my years as a lawyer, banker and regulator focused on the China and Hong Kong capital markets,” said Ms. Chan. “I am thrilled to be joining the firm as it further establishes its preeminent position in Hong Kong and Greater China.”

Mr. Dapiran added, “I have worked alongside Davis Polk lawyers on numerous groundbreaking Chinese offerings and know firsthand the remarkable level of expertise and service they bring to such transactions. I am delighted now to join their ranks and to help launch what will be a uniquely powerful combination of local Hong Kong, U.K. and U.S. law capabilities.”

Bonnie YT Chan is a seasoned corporate lawyer and financial regulator who, since 2007, served as Senior Vice President, Listing Division, of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx), where she has led HKEx’s IPO Transactions Department. Prior to joining HKEx, Ms. Chan was Executive Director of the Legal and Compliance Department of Morgan Stanley’s Hong Kong office, where she led the legal coverage team for the investment banking division in Asia. Before joining Morgan Stanley, she worked at Deutsche Bank, where she was responsible for origination and execution of equity and equity-linked transactions across Asia. She worked for several law firms early in her career, including Sullivan & Cromwell in Hong Kong and New York, and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom. She earned her LL.B. and PCLL at the University of Hong Kong and her LL.M. at Harvard Law School. She is fluent in English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Antony Dapiran is a leading corporate lawyer in China. He was previously managing partner of the Beijing office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and has advised on some of the largest and most complex initial public offerings in the China market as well as on inbound and outbound M&A and private equity transactions. His recent transactions include advising Agricultural Bank of China on its $22 billion IPO and the underwriters on the IPO of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC). Some of the many other IPOs he has handled include those of China Construction Bank, China Longyuan Power, Yingde Gases Group, Want Want China Holdings, China Huiyuan Juice Group, Semiconductor Manufacturing International and China Oilfield Services Limited. He serves as counsel to a number of Fortune China 100 companies on regulatory, compliance and general corporate matters. Mr. Dapiran was educated at the University of Melbourne and Peking University and joined Freshfields in 1999. He is fluent in English and Mandarin.

About Davis Polk. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP is a global law firm. For more than 160 years, its lawyers have advised industry-leading companies and global financial institutions on their most challenging legal and business matters. Davis Polk ranks among the world’s preeminent law firms across the entire range of its practice, which spans such areas as capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, credit, litigation, private equity, tax, investment management, insolvency and restructuring, executive compensation, intellectual property, real estate and trusts and estates. The firm has more than 750 lawyers in offices in New York, Menlo Park, CA, Washington DC, London, Paris, Madrid, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information: http://www.davispolk.com.

About Davis Polk’s China Practice. Active in China for nearly a century, Davis Polk has offices in Hong Kong and Beijing. Through the firm’s China practice, which now consists of more than 35 lawyers in the region (these include 5 partners and over 25 associates fluent in Mandarin), Davis Polk has been extensively involved in transactions throughout China, with a particular focus on the mainland. Davis Polk combines its presence and extensive experience in China with a leading global practice in complex, cross-border securities, M&A and strategic investment transactions. The firm has been involved in a number of the largest-ever Chinese cross-border transactions, gaining extensive knowledge of the various business, regulatory and cultural considerations associated with such matters. Through its many years of practice in China, the firm has developed strong relationships with numerous Chinese companies, as well as many other financial institutions and companies that are active in China. Last fall, 15 of the firm’s lawyers took and passed the Hong Kong bar exam, and the firm is in the process of converting to a Hong Kong law practice, which it expects to complete by November 1, 2010.

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