Appleby

Appleby maintains a strong reputation in Hong Kong for its expertise across high-value transactional and contentious work. The firm is particularly active on M&A, including SPAC transactions, and has a standout restructuring and insolvency practice, regularly advising on major PRC real estate debt restructurings. Investment funds, dispute resolution, and private client work also feature prominently. Co-chair David Bulley is highly regarded for private equity M&A and restructuring, while fellow co-chair Eliot Simpson is a key figure in disputes. Fiona Chan leads the banking and finance team, noted for her expertise in complex restructuring and acquisition finance, and Judy Lee is a go-to for equity and debt capital markets mandates. The team strengthened its disputes, restructuring and investment funds offerings with the hire of John McCarroll, who joined from Harney Westwood & Riegels (BVI) LP, counsel Charles Wong, who joined from Harneys in June 2025, and Freya Xu, who joined from Mourant in November 2024, respectively.