HONG KONG (July 18, 2011) – Morrison & Foerster is pleased to announce that John Moore will join the firm's Hong Kong office as a partner in the corporate and capital markets practice. Mr. Moore regularly represents investment banks and global corporations in capital markets, M&A, and private equity transactions in the U.S. and Asia. He is also currently serving as the Deputy Chairman of the Listing Committee of the Main Board and the Growth Enterprise Market of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
"John's arrival is another important step forward in the continued growth of Morrison & Foerster's Capital Markets Practice globally and in the all-important Hong Kong market," said Keith Wetmore, Chair of Morrison & Foerster. "His vast experience, coupled with his extensive investment bank client roster, will contribute in a meaningful way to the continued enhancement of our Asia-U.S. deal pipeline."
"John is on everyone's short list of the leading U.S. securities lawyers in Hong Kong," said Ven Tan, Managing Partner of the Hong Kong Office. "His reputation in the highly competitive arena for IPOs is stellar, and he is equally well-known for his general corporate advisory work. He is a great addition to the firm."
John Moore added: "Morrison & Foerster's stellar reputation throughout Asia, global platform, and first-rate corporate and capital markets capabilities in China are very attractive to me. I am excited to contribute to the firm's growth."
Mr. Moore was previously a partner at Herbert Smith, where he was head of the U.S. Capital Markets group for Asia. Prior to joining Herbert Smith, Mr. Moore was an executive director and senior counsel at Goldman Sachs, with primary legal coverage responsibility for its investment banking division in Asia ex-Japan. At Goldman Sachs he was responsible for covering the investment banking division's full range of products, notably capital markets transactions including SEC-registered, Rule 144A/Regulation S, and Rule 144 offerings, as well as M&A transactions. Mr. Moore is qualified to practice New York and Hong Kong law. He is listed in Chambers Asia, Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, and IFLR 1000.
With full-service offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, Morrison & Foerster has a robust China-based corporate practice, handling a wide range of transactions, including large private equity and M&A deals and IPOs. The firm recently worked on a number of transactions such as:
- Advising China International Capital Corp. (CICC) and CITIC Securities as joint underwriters in the $4.0 billion rights issue of A- and H-shares by China CITIC Bank Corp.
- Representing BNP and Bocom International as joint underwriters in the $195 million HK IPO by Zall Development (Cayman) Holding, the leading development and operator of wholesale shopping malls in China.
- Advising CICC, along with investment banks Morgan Stanley and UBS, as agents for a $440 million secondary offering on behalf of Sinopharm Group, the largest distributor of pharmaceutical and healthcare products in China. The firm had earlier represented the underwriters, Morgan Stanley, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Citi, and CICC, in Sinopharm’s $1.1 billion IPO in 2009.