Continuing the strategic growth of its acclaimed financial services capabilities in Asia, Bingham has expanded its Hong Kong office with the addition of three partners: Laurence Isaacson, Vincent Sum and Mark Fucci.
Bingham’s investment reflects a growing need within the financial services industry for high-level legal counsel based in Asia, said Chairman Jay Zimmerman, noting the increased capability in Hong Kong and Tokyo, where Bingham is the fourth-largest full-service law firm with 75 lawyers. Over the last year, Bingham has strategically extended its leading financial services team in Asia to better service global clients conducting work throughout the continent.
“The addition of Larry, Vincent and Mark to our Hong Kong office reinforces Bingham’s commitment to growing our financial services team in key financial centers worldwide,” said Zimmerman. “With our exceptional on-the-ground talent and integrated global platform, Bingham is well-positioned to serve clients facing sophisticated legal issues related to doing business in Asia.”
“The expansion of Bingham’s premier structured finance and derivatives practice to Asia continues our strategy of building upon our market-leading practices to service our clients globally,” said Reed Auerbach, leader of Bingham’s Structured Transactions Group. “Larry’s move and Vincent’s arrival to the Hong Kong office will be an immediate benefit to our clients doing business in Asia.”
Laurence Isaacson
Isaacson, a recognized leader in structured finance and partner in Bingham’s Structured Transactions Group, relocates to Hong Kong from New York. Isaacson represents clients in a wide variety of complex asset-based transactions, including collateralized debt, loan, swap and fund transactions; structured products backed by a variety of financial assets; credit linked notes; complex credit derivative transactions; and other structured vehicles. He has consistently been named one of the world’s leading practitioners in the field of securitization by Chambers Global since 1999 and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2003, which has also named him a Senior Statesman in the fields of structured products and securitization since 2009.
“Expanding our U.S. and U.K. strengths in structured finance to Asia allows us to focus our abilities to advise clients on complex asset-based transactions,” said Isaacson, who recently received a master of public administration from Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Vincent Sum
Sum joins Bingham’s Structured Transactions Group from Hogan Lovells in Hong Kong, where he led the debt capital markets practice. Sum has extensive experience in structured transactions, derivatives, structured credit, retail and non-retail structured funds, and debt capital markets. He advises arrangers, underwriters, portfolio managers, issuers, institutional investors and trustees. Sum is qualified to practice in Hong Kong, England and New York, and is experienced in handling complex transactions governed by the laws of those jurisdictions.
“Bingham is a market leader in structured transactions,” said Sum. “The firm’s focus and dedication of resources to Hong Kong and Asia means we are position to serve our clients with best-in-class lawyers who have critical relationships in the region,” said Sum.
Mark Fucci
Fucci, a partner in Bingham’s global Financial Restructuring Group, transfers to Hong Kong from Bingham’s Tokyo office. Fucci has substantial experience in restructurings, insolvencies and complex financial transactions. He has been resident in Bingham’s Tokyo office since 2007 and has represented creditor clients in a number of major cross-border insolvencies, including Spansion, a case involving parallel U.S. and Japan insolvency proceedings. He has represented the Ad Hoc Committee of Senior Secured Lenders in the Delta Air Lines Chapter 11 case. The committee, comprised of more than 60 insurance companies, hedge funds and other investors, holds more than $2.5 billion in leveraged lease debt and deficiency claims.
“Expanding in Hong Kong is a logical evolution of our cross-border restructuring practice,” said Fucci, “especially with so many of our Hong Kong clients active in Japan.”
The expansion of the Hong Kong office, currently with 10 lawyers, continues Bingham’s investment and extension of its market-leading Financial Services Area globally. In June, Anne-Marie Godfrey joined the Hong Kong office as a partner in the investment management practice, where she advises investment advisers, fund administrators, trustees and other fund service providers on investment fund-related issues. In January, Bingham expanded its U.S. and Asian antitrust capabilities to Europe with the addition of Davina Garrod to its London office as a partner focusing in the financial services industry. Last December, Sarah Smith joined Bingham in London, where she focuses on general finance and restructuring matters, and has significant experience in structured finance and securitization, and domestic and cross-border asset-based lending. In expanding its on-the-ground presence in Asia, Bingham relocated corporate partner Brian Beglin and restructuring partner Mark Deveno from New York to the 75-lawyer Tokyo office last spring.
“Having Mark based in Hong Kong augments our already strong financial restructuring capabilities on the ground in Asia, a key global financial hub,” said James Roome, co-chair of Bingham’s global Financial Restructuring Group.
Bingham, www.bingham.com, offers a broad range of market-leading practices nationally and internationally. The firm has 1,100 lawyers in 13 locations in the United States, Europe and Asia.
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