CMS has enhanced its corporate capabilities in Asia by welcoming Hong Kong-based partner Steven Tran, a specialist in M&A and private equity.
“Steven will have a prominent role in undertaking M&A and private equity transactions across the Asia region and will also be working with the corporate team in Singapore, headed by Toby Grainger”, Caryn Miller, CMS partner and managing director for Asia and the Middle East, told Asia Business Law Journal.
Tran, formerly a partner at Morrison Foerster, brings 25 years of experience advising multinational corporations and private equity funds on cross-border transactions, working across multiple jurisdictions, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and Sydney. He also worked as a partner at Mayer Brown, Hogan Lovells, and Kirkland & Ellis and is qualified as a solicitor in Hong Kong, England and Wales, and Australia.
Having been based in Asia for the past 23 years, Tran has advised on several high-profile transactions, including Grab's acquisition of Chope, a leading restaurant reservation app in Southeast Asia. He also provided counsel to a global private equity fund on its planned acquisition of a Singapore-based fintech company.
Miller emphasized Tran’s significance to the firm’s strategy: “Hong Kong continues to be of strategic importance for CMS and Steve’s arrival signals our ongoing commitment to the APAC [Asia-Pacific] region”.
Tran's appointment comes after the recent addition of partners Paul Moloney and Helen Wang to the firm's funds and indirect real estate team in Hong Kong. Mariel Dimsey, Managing Partner of CMS Germany's Hong Kong office and Head of APAC, also rejoined the firm last year after serving as Secretary-General of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre.