International law firm Dorsey & Whitney has expanded its highly regarded cross-border transactional practice with the hire of senior international transactional lawyer Stewart Worthy as a Partner in the Firm’s London office. Worthy joins the firm from King & Wood Mallesons in London.
Mr. Worthy’s practice focuses on complex cross-border transactions, with a particular focus on US and APAC in-bound UK investments and English law deals in Central & Eastern Europe and Africa. He has a broad corporate and finance practice advising clients on acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, international securities offerings, strategic alliances, complex restructurings and other commercial transactions. His clients include companies in a wide variety of sectors, including automotive, packaging, manufacturing, real estate, retail, hospitality, clean technology, mining and oil and gas.
He has been recognized by IFLR 1000 as a “notable practitioner” and described in The Legal 500 as a “great deal captain” having “technical expertise coupled with an easy-going personality and being great to work with.”
Mr. Worthy has advised clients in a number of cross-border transactions, including a significant number of China-UK transactions:
- Represented Hony Capital on the £1bn restructuring of Pizza Express GroupRepresenting TAL Education on certain UK corporate matters
- Advising a Chinese family office on its reorganisation and several divestments of hospitality assets in UK and Ireland
- Representing Monsas China Ltd (HK) on its investment in a UK cash & carry business and subsequent bolt on acquisition
- Represented private equity firm, CapDesia Group, on its equity investment in Japanese fast food restaurant chain, Wasabi Sushi & Bento
- Represented an African state ministry of finance in its multiple PXF facilities made available by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
- Represented a HK asset manager on its investment in a large UK real estate development company
- Represented a UK display technology business in connection with its proposed investment by a Chinese tech company
In addition to Mr. Worthy, Dorsey’s China practice has recently added talent in several important areas of client need. Marc Kushner, a leading mergers and acquisitions lawyer, focusing on complex cross-border transactions including extensive experience with U.S.-China cross-border transactions. Justin Wang, practicing in the areas of cross-border litigation and national security, joined the Beijing office. Gan Wang, a seasoned corporate and tax attorney, joined the Firm’s Shanghai office. In Hong Kong, Joshua Wong joined Dorsey’s international arbitration and commercial disputes resolution team. All three attorneys are fluent in Chinese and English and have both U.S. and Chinese law background and training.
Dorsey’s U.S. China Practice mainly serves the following industries: biotech and life sciences; e-commerce and logistics; high-end manufacturing; chemicals and materials; mining and natural resources; technology; financial services; automotive; and internet of things. Dorsey’s U.S.-China practice has received numerous accolades and awards, including recent recognition in Legal 500, IFLR, Chambers, and Legal 100 Asia; four 2021 China Business Law Awards by the China Business Journal; a China Business Law Journal “Deal of the Year Award” in 2020; and many more.
“Dorsey has built an impressive cross-border transactional practice and we’re thrilled to continue add talent,” said Catherine Pan, Partner and Corporate Group Head in the Firm’s New York office and Head of the Firm’s globally recognized U.S.-China transactional practice. “This expanded group will allow us to continue building a top-tier practice that provides high-level, high-value legal services to our China-based clients investing or doing business in Europe, and that provides much needed hand-holding to our European and other international clients that have an increasing need to learn how to work with their Chinese counterparties.”
