Debevoise & Plimpton LLP has announced the hire of Stuart Valentine as an international counsel in the firm’s Hong Kong office, effective May 5, 2014. Mr. Valentine will be joining the firm’s Financial Institutions Group.
Mr. Valentine joins the firm from King & Wood Mallesons, where he has been a partner since 2006. Prior to that, he was a partner at Clifford Chance in Hong Kong for 12 years.
Mr. Valentine is a corporate lawyer with broad experience advising international clients in Hong Kong and China, having worked in Asia for more than 20 years. He focuses on the insurance and financial services industries, where he has advised on some of the market’s most prominent transactions and regulatory matters. Mr. Valentine has been recognised as a leading lawyer in various legal directories from the 1990s to the present. Most recently, he was named once again by Chambers Asia-Pacific in Band 1 for lawyers advising on non-contentious insurance matters in China.
With the addition of Mr. Valentine, the leadership team in Debevoise’s Hong Kong office grows to eight partners and international counsel. The office’s core practices are financial services and other M&A, fund formation, white collar/regulatory and international arbitration. In the insurance and financial services sectors, the Hong Kong office advises major clients such as AIA and American International Group in some of their largest corporate matters across Asia.
Lord (Peter) Goldsmith QC, partner and chair of European and Asian litigation at Debevoise, said: “We’re committed to continuing our growth in Asia. In October, we brought in Andy Y. Soh from General Electric as a litigation international counsel, and also promoted Brian McKenna to international counsel on the Hong Kong corporate team. Adding Stuart is a further significant step in our strategic development in the region. Stuart is one of Asia’s outstanding lawyers, and has been for a long time. He’ll be a great addition to the team.”
Drew Dutton, the partner who leads Debevoise’s Asian financial institutions practice, said: “Stuart will join our growing financial institutions practice, bringing with him a long and incredibly successful track record in the region. He’s certainly one of the big names when it comes to advising global financial institutions in Asia. He’s a fantastic lawyer, and his experience dovetails neatly with the kind of work we’re already doing in the practice, and so I’m certain he will play a big role in our continued growth here.”
Mr. Valentine said: “Debevoise has a strong reputation in Asia. Certainly in the insurance sector, you regularly see their name on some of the biggest deals. The firm has a talented team in Hong Kong, and an impressive client base, and so it’s an exciting time to be joining them. I’m looking forward to playing my part in the continued success of the firm in the region.”
Mr. Valentine is admitted as a practicing solicitor of the superior courts of England and Wales. He is also admitted as a solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong and a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, Australia.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a leading international law firm, representing a wide range of clients in transactions and disputes around the world. Founded in 1931, the firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
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