Herbert Smith Freehills is pleased to announce that the firm has appointed Hong Kong-based Julian Copeman as Greater China Managing Partner, with immediate effect. Julian succeeds Justin D’Agostino, who was appointed Global Head of Disputes in May. The firm also confirmed today the appointments of partners Brenda Horrigan as Head of Office – Shanghai and Tom Chau as Head of Office – Beijing.
As Greater China Managing Partner, Julian will work with Brenda and Tom in running the three Greater China offices, which have around 300 staff, including 27 partners and 100 other fee-earners. He will also work closely with Asia Managing Partner Mark Johnson and the firm’s Asia practice area heads.
Since joining the firm in 2012, Brenda has added significant depth to the international arbitration practice, in particular through focusing on advising multinationals operating in mainland China. In Beijing, Tom has a key role as relationship partner for a number of our major Chinese clients. He has also been a lead partner on some of our largest China-related transactions and will continue to play an integral part in building the corporate practice in Greater China.
“Julian’s position reflects the strategic significance of Greater China in the firm’s global business plan,” said Mark. “I am very pleased to have someone of Julian’s calibre take up this important management role, and look forward to working with him.”
A seasoned litigator, Julian has acted on a number of high profile cases. In 2010, he acted for British Sky Broadcasting Group on its successful claim against EDS, an IT contractor. He separately represented a group of funds in relation to a joint venture dispute with East Asia Satellite Television relating to a casino project in Macao.
Julian joined Herbert Smith Freehills in 1992 and moved to Hong Kong in 2013. He had previously worked in Hong Kong on a number of occasions. Julian is a solicitor advocate in the English courts and an accredited mediator with the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution.
“It is an honour to be appointed to this role, and I am very excited at the prospect of leading such an exceptional team of lawyers. There is no doubt that we have a preeminent practice in Greater China and I look forward to leading our China offices towards further success in the future,” said Julian.
Herbert Smith Freehills has a long-established reputation in Greater China and has had a presence in the region since 1982. The firm’s Greater China offices have advised on many high profiled matters including Agricultural Bank of China’s US$22.1 billion global IPO, Industrial & Commercial Bank of China’s US$21.9 billion dual listing on the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, and China National Petroleum Corporation’s US$4.2 billion acquisition of assets in Mozambique. Herbert Smith Freehills Greater China disputes practice is the largest in the region. According to Chambers and Partners, Herbert Smith Freehills is the only international law firm to be ranked band 1 for disputes resolution practices in all of its offices in Asia Pacific.
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