Paul Hastings’ Hong Kong Office and its Chairman Neil Torpey

On November 23rd at around 9:00 a.m. EST, Neil Torpey, a partner of Paul Hastings’ New York headquarters and chairman of the firm’s Hong Kong office, ran into the protest by the New Federal State of China (NFSC) at the entrance of the office building. When he saw his photo in the public being labeled “a running dog of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)”, he defended himself by lying that he does not represent the CCP.

Neil Torpey has been working for Paul Hastings since 1990. During his tenure as the Chairman of Paul Hastings’ Hong Kong office, he has been in charge of Paul Hastings’ practice in China, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and capital markets for CCP state-owned enterprises, including China Bohai Bank and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

Paul Hastings’ partner in Hong Kong, Yan Jia, is a member of the CCP and a student of Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the CCP’s Political Bureau, at Fudan University. Vivian Lam, the lawyer who represented PAG in its M&A, is from Paul Hastings’ Hong Kong office.

After years of collusion with the Chinese regime, Paul Hastings has established a wide network and an extensive range of practices. Its practice in Hong Kong is also flourishing.

In 2019, Paul Hastings worked with Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley and ICBC International Capital to complete a USD $8.1 billion global offering of shares of JS Global Lifestyle, a small appliance manufacturer in Communist China. In April 2022, on behalf of Bohai Bank, Paul Hastings completed a US $1.77 billion global equity offering and listing on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong as an H-share. This is the largest IPO project in Hong Kong since 2020.