The firm is regarded as one of the strongest in the region for private equity, M&A, and disputes advice. Its lawyers possess decades’ worth of experience in Asia in these areas.
Andrew M. Ostrognai
E. Drew Dutton
Mark Johnson
Debevoise’s Asian offices are home to the leading funds practice in Asia. The practice has a superior understanding of the sector, whether in established funds attracting international investors or highly specialized, first-time funds targeting a local investor base. Partner Andrew M. Ostrognai has been named by Private Equity International as one of the 30 most influential global private equity lawyers. Fellow partner Gavin Anderson is described by clients in Lawdragon Insights: Private Funds as “extremely bright, extremely responsive, very intelligent: he just gets it.” Chambers Asia Pacific has said of the practice that “this international heavyweight continues to live up to its reputation as a superlative force in private equity fund formation.”
In M&A, the Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo offices lead on some of the region’s biggest-value and highest-impact matters, with a particular focus on advising national and international insurers and other financial institutions. The team has a strong track record and deep knowledge of these sectors. The practice is led by Drew Dutton, who was named by The Asian Lawyer as an All-Star, and the publication noted that “few lawyers in the region can boast the close client relationship that Dutton has with certain heavyweight financial institutions.” The team also includes William Chua and Edwin Northover, who are ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for M&A and insurance respectively. Chambers Asia-Pacific says of the practice that it has “a streamlined team harnessing a depth of resources in the USA, alongside a growing Hong Kong-based offering.”
The office’s litigators are part of one of the world’s strongest international disputes practices, advising clients on complex arbitrations, litigations and anti-corruption matters, and working regularly alongside colleagues in Europe and the U.S. to provide the highest levels of representation in Asia. Mark Johnson is ranked by both Chambers and Legal 500 as a top-tier advisor for dispute resolution in China and Hong Kong respectively, with Chambers Global stating that he “continues to be a leading name in commercial litigation and contentious regulatory work.” Christopher K. Tahbaz, Co-Chair of Asian Litigation, has been named a “Litigation Star” and a “Local Disputes Star (Hong Kong) – Arbitration” in Benchmark Asia-Pacific, which describes him as “highly recommended in the arbitration sphere,” and he is also recognized in Who's Who Legal for Commercial Arbitration in Hong Kong. The Asian disputes practice is also led by Lord Goldsmith QC, former Attorney General of the UK, Chair of Asian and European Litigation for Debevoise, and Vice Chair of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.
Debevoise lawyers have represented Asia-based clients and multinational clients for decades in Asia-focused disputes and white collar matters. The firm has one of the few practices to combine investment treaty arbitration, general commercial dispute resolution and public international law experience with strong capacity in four major international arbitration centers: New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris. The firm’s Asian disputes team also has deep experience in white collar and regulatory matters, working on behalf of clients in China, India, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand.