Cleary Gottlieb has had an active presence in Asia for over 35 years, beginning with the opening of our Hong Kong office in 1980, followed by the opening of our Beijing office in 2006 and our Seoul office in 2012.
As one of the first U.S. law firms to establish an office in Asia, we have strengthened our commitment to the region over the years. In 2011, the Hong Kong law practice was launched, adding first-class Hong Kong law capability to our broad-based corporate transactional practice. Our Hong Kong matters currently include significant public and private M&A and private equity transactions, as well as IPOs and other Hong Kong capital markets transactions.
Profile. Our Asia practice is highly regarded by independent commentators. Chambers Asia has named Cleary a leading firm in China and Asia for capital markets, M&A, and private equity, as well as a leading firm in South Korea, India, and the Philippines. In addition, our lawyers in Asia have been distinguished as leaders in capital markets, M&A, and private equity for China and as leading lawyers for South Korea, India, and the Philippines by Chambers Asia.
We have won numerous awards for deals involving Asia-based companies from publications including The Asian Lawyer, China Business Law Journal, International Financing Review, FinanceAsia, International Financial Law Review, Asian Legal Business, and Asian-Mena Counsel Magazine.
Core Practice Groups. Our core practice groups in Hong Kong are mergers and acquisitions, private equity, capital markets, fund formation, antitrust finance, compliance, restructuring, and sovereign debt matters.