HONG KONG--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sidley Austin has completed 14 high yield offerings in Asia since September 2009, raising an approximate aggregate value of US$5.725 billion for the issuers.

In September 2009, Sidley acted on Asia’s first true high yield bond in 14 months. In that transaction, firm client Country Garden Holdings issued the first high yield offering from the P.R.C. since 2007. Sidley also represented Country Garden in its follow-on issuance that same month, as well as PT Indika/Indo Integrated Energy II B.V. and Agile Property Holdings in their high yield offerings later that year.

Sidley’s U.S. Corporate Finance team in Hong Kong has already completed ten high yield offerings in 2010. Most recently, the team closed four high yield offerings in quick succession for P.R.C. real estate issuers Country Garden, KWG Property Holding and Shimao Property Holdings, as well as for PT Indosat, a leading telecommunications services provider in Indonesia.

Prior to those offerings, the team also represented P.R.C.-based real estate developers Evergrande Real Estate Group (two issuances), Agile Property, Country Garden, Kaisa Group Holdings and Fantasia Holdings Group in their high yield offerings. Additional similar deals are expected to be brought to market in the second half of 2010 as capital markets activity gains momentum.

Sidley partner Matthew Sheridan said, “We are very proud to have assisted our clients over the past few months with this product. These clients are existing clients of the firm, whom we have represented in their prior strategic corporate transactions. We are pleased that we have continued to assist them as their businesses and capital structures have evolved. We believe that our significant high yield deal activity underscores our rankings as one of the leading law firms in Asia for this type of work, as well as our reputation for successfully bringing legal innovation to transactions.”

Sidley’s U.S. Corporate Finance team in Hong Kong was strengthened by the arrival of partner Alex Lloyd who joined in May this year. Mr. Lloyd’s practice focuses on debt and equity capital markets, in particular high yield debt offerings as well as IPOs. He has represented issuers and underwriters in a number of notable high yield offerings in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea and China. His wealth of experience enhances Sidley’s service offering to clients in their capital-raising and other corporate finance activities.

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Sidley has been awarded numerous honors in the region, including being named “Most Innovative U.S. Law Firm” by IFLR in 2010, and being ranked by Chambers Asia as one of the leading law firms across various practices in 2009 and 2010.

Sidley has one of the largest and most active capital markets practices of any international law firm in Asia Pacific, advising clients on a wide range of matters governed under Hong Kong, U.S. and English law. The firm represents issuers and underwriters on all types of equity, debt and equity-linked transactions, including listings on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, SEC-registered offerings in the U.S., international securities offerings pursuant to Rule 144A and Regulation S, and issuances involving the creation of ADR or GDR programs.

Sidley Austin LLP is one of the world’s largest full-service law firms, with approximately 1700 lawyers practicing in 17 U.S. and international cities, including Beijing, Brussels, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. Sidley is recognized for service and responsiveness—BTI, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, has named Sidley as one of only two firms to have been in the top ten of the BTI Client Service rankings every year since the inception of those rankings in 2001, and was number one in three of those years.

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.