Squire Sanders Boosts Presence in Asia

HONG KONG, Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Squire Sanders announced a significant step forward in implementing its strategy to continue developing its presence in the Asia Pacific region.

Mao Tong, Peter Chow and Ignatius Hwang have joined Squire Sanders from Bryan Cave in Hong Kong and Singapore. 

James J. Maiwurm, Squire Sanders chair and global CEO said: "We are very pleased to welcome Mao Tong, Peter and Ignatius to the firm. They are highly regarded in the local market, and their appointments, together with our recent expansion into Western Australia, are important steps forward in our Asia Pacific growth strategy that builds on a 125-lawyer base in the region.  Mao Tong and Peter join our very busy and thriving office in Hong Kong, and Ignatius is the foundation we will build upon with a new presence in Singapore, a commercial center of growing importance.  Consistent with our global strategies, these additions strengthen our energy and natural resources, international arbitration, and infrastructure and transactional capabilities."

Mao Tong was formerly the managing partner of the Hong Kong office of Bryan Cave. He is an accomplished corporate transactional lawyer, having been involved in a number of cross-border merger and acquisition and joint venture transactions.  His experience includes work in the energy and mining sectors, private equity transactions and foreign direct investment into China.  Prior to joining Bryan Cave in 2008, Mao Tong was a partner at Hogan & Hartson and a partner of Squire Sanders in Hong Kong for eight years.  He was also General Counsel, Greater China, for General Electric Company.

Peter Chow was also a partner in Bryan Cave's Hong Kong office, where he led the firm's International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution practice in Asia.  Peter handles disputes related to energy and resources, infrastructure and construction projects, international trade, maritime and general commercial matters.  He has advised major US, European and Asian corporations, including Chinese state-owned enterprises.  Peter is a chartered arbitrator and listed to practice in the UK, Australia and Hong Kong. Apart from extensive arbitration experience in Asia, he has experience in matters involving Africa, the Middle East and Russia. Prior to joining Bryan Cave, Peter practiced with Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong and Mallesons in Hong Kong and Melbourne.

Formerly managing partner of Bryan Cave's Singapore office, Ignatius Hwang has more than 20 years of international experience as an energy, resources and infrastructure lawyer. He held several in-house counsel positions with various multi-nationals, including senior counsel at CMS Energy, a Michigan-based electricity and natural gas utility. He was a partner at Freehills and led its energy and resources practice in Asia before joining Bryan Cave in 2008.

Ignatius has a leading reputation as a public/private partnership projects attorney, having been involved in all aspects of PPP, energy and infrastructure projects. He has also advised governments, vendors and bidders on privatizations. He has worked on energy and infrastructure projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, India, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, as well as in the Middle East and Africa.

Ignatius will spearhead the launch of a new office in Singapore, expected to open at the end of March once a license to operate in that market has been granted.

James Tsang, managing partner of Squire Sanders' Hong Kong office, explained that “The business environment in China is changing. Increasingly the opportunities associated with the Chinese legal market involve outbound investment. And international arbitration activity is growing in both Hong Kong and Singapore.  Mao Tong, Peter and Ignatius bring considerable international experience to the firm and, with our global platform, Squire Sanders is ideally suited to represent Chinese companies investing elsewhere in the world."

Ken Kurosu, Squire Sanders Asia practice coordinator, added that "These additions build on an already strong platform in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Western Australia. We are pleased to be able to offer to clients additional strength and experience in sectors such as energy and natural resources and practices such as cross-border transactions, arbitration and infrastructure development. We expect these new partners to rapidly become part of the fabric of our integrated Asia Pacific activities."