Deep Talent Pool is Key

Recently relocated to a bigger office in Central, leading offshore law firm Mourant Ozannes expands its Hong Kong presence in light of a growing demand from its clients

A deep talent pool is the real strength of the city

Paul Christopher
Paul Christopher
Managing Partner, Hong Kong of Mourant Ozannes

Prior to establishing its presence in Hong Kong in 2012, Mourant Ozannes had been advising on the laws of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey from its offices in each of these jurisdictions as well as London.

The firm started with a solid team of seven, each bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and experience in their respective fields. Mourant Ozannes provides advice on matters spanning corporate, finance, private equity, funds and litigation and insolvency matters to financial institutions, global corporates, investment managers and sovereign wealth funds with a private equity bias. It also boasts a fully integrated corporate services arm which provides a seamless management and administration service to holding and investment companies, and partnerships.

“When we first started in Hong Kong, we believed that there was a deep talent pool here, which is the real strength of the city. This has certainly proven to be the case and we have been recruiting talent with exceptional backgrounds and experience,” Paul Christopher, Managing Partner, Hong Kong said. “Without any doubt, Hong Kong was the right place for us to establish our office in Asia.” After almost five years, Mourant Ozannes now has 31 staff in its Hong Kong office and is further expanding.

Its team of lawyers is a mix of talent from Hong Kong, Mainland China, the UK and Australia complemented by strong teams who are responsible for business development and corporate services. With the expansion, the firm also established new teams handling litigation, insolvency and restructuring with lawyers who are experienced in the courts of the BVI and Cayman Islands. Paul attributed their rapid growth in Hong Kong to a very clear strategy since the beginning.

By deploying this strategy to business development and recruitment, they have now built a great team. “Hong Kong is the key part of our business in Asia and this is where the growth in business is generated. We are committed to Hong Kong and feel confident in the existing approach with our strong foundation in the city. We feel it is a privilege to be here.”

The Hong Kong office provides legal services to businesses across Asia, including China, Japan, Taiwan and Southeast Asia. “Hong Kong enjoys a geographic advantage of being an easy place to travel to and from those jurisdictions and an efficient airport is a real plus,” Paul added.

Paul moved to Hong Kong in August 2011 with his family and has found the city’s people to be very straightforward and receptive to what the firm is trying to do. He has also found them to be open-minded, energetic and easy to work with.

26.01.2017

Fast Facts

  • A leading offshore law firm advising on the laws of British Virgin Island (BVI), the Cayman Islands, Guernsey and Jersey
  • Established its Asia office in Hong Kong in 2012; staff size grew from 7 to 31

(Please click here to download Acrobat Reader)

26.01.2017
Contact Us
Leave your details and we'll be in touch.

The personal information you have provided will help us deliver, develop and promote our services. By submitting your details, ticking the boxes and clicking "Submit" indicate that you have read and agreed to our privacy policy and cookie policy. Please read these to understand your data rights.