Corrs Chambers Westgarth has significantly bolstered its restructuring and insolvency and banking and finance practices with the appointment of Patrick O’Grady and Cameron Cheetham as partners in the Sydney office. Both joining from Henry Davis York, the new partners have experience acting for leading insolvency practitioners, government, litigation funders, commercial banks and non-bank alternative capital providers. They have a deep history of acting for major Australian banks in contentious and non-contentious engagements, together with other major financial institutions. O’ Grady has significant experience in corporate finance, structured property and development finance, asset finance, project finance and workout arrangements. He is a recognised expert in the areas of surety bonds and credit enhancement products. He is a senior banking and finance lawyer with over 20 years’ experience and is a trusted adviser to a number of Australia’s leading banks and other financial institutions. He also has experience acting for project sponsors and large corporate borrowers and developers. On the other hand, Cheetham is qualified and has practised for more than 20 years in Australia, London and New York in domestic and cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters. He acts for strategic investors and creditors, public, portfolio and private debtor companies and equity sponsors in distressed lending and restructuring transactions and related contentious disputes. He combines his understanding of formal insolvency regimes and his unique global experience to drive sensible, commercial outcomes.
Jones Day has added Charles Chau as a partner in the M&A practice of its Hong Kong office. An adviser for nearly 20 years to clients in Hong Kong, mainland China and the Asia-Pacific region, Chau has extensive experience in public and private company acquisitions, joint ventures, financings and pre-IPO investment transactions. His experience encompasses a wide range of industry sectors, including banking and financial services, health care, biotech, retail, real estate and manufacturing. He has represented a number of Chinese companies on their M&A transactions, including acting for China CNR on its US$26 billion merger with CSR, the first merger of two companies listed in both Hong Kong and Shanghai. In capital markets matters, Chau has worked on numerous high-profile IPOs and securities offering transactions, including the IPOs of Sinopharm Group, China CNR, China CITIC Bank, Guodian Technology and Environment Group, share placements of Evergrande Real Estate Group and Sino-Ocean Land Holdings, as well as the A+H rights issue of China CITIC Bank. He is fluent in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Simmons & Simmons has added Matthew Durham as a partner in the firm’s China employment practice, based in Shanghai. He trained with the firm and qualified as a solicitor in 1998. He previously worked in the firm’s Shanghai office for many years, becoming a consultant in 2009. He now rejoins from Winston & Strawn, where he was a partner based in its Shanghai and Beijing offices. Durham has lived and worked in Shanghai since 1999, and has extensive experience advising international clients on labour, employment and corporate law issues in China. Clients he advises sit across a diverse range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, retails and insurance. He also assists on all issues surrounding labour, including employment questions, separations, union matters, stock options and incentive schemes.
