As purely domestic deals become harder and harder to find, global law firms continue to lure attorneys with cross-border transactional expertise. The latest firm to snag a partner from a global competitor is King & Spalding.
Ye Cecilia Hong, who was previously a partner at Kirkland & Ellis, joins King & Spalding’s financial institutions and finance practice as a partner in New York. Hong is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and English. She represents public and private borrowers and lenders in cross-border financing transactions, with a particular emphasis on distressed financings and restructurings.
“I have qualifications and experience working as a lawyer in China, so I’m excited to help expand and build up the firm’s presence in Asia in terms of cross-border transactions. In terms of U.S. domestic deals, I am primarily focused on leveraged finance work and I’m also experienced in managing and advising distressed financing and restructuring matters as well,” Hong told IFLR1000.
“When the economy’s good, I work on LBOs, but if there’s a downturn and a company’s going through trouble, that’s something I can handle as well. In the days of ‘08 and ‘09, before the economy started to pick up again, I did a significant amount of restructuring and distressed debt work,” she added.
Hong holds an L.L.M. from the University of Chicago.