Herbert Smith Freehills appoints Lewis McDonald to lead corporate practice in Asia

London/Hong Kong: Partner Lewis McDonald has been appointed as the regional head of Herbert Smiths Freehills' corporate practice in Asia. 

"In his six years as a partner, Lewis has established a formidable reputation with clients as an energy law practitioner, whilst also launching a brand new office in Korea and coordinating our energy team around the region," said Scott Cochrane, Herbert Smith Freehills' Global Head, Corporate.  "These leadership positions, together with his experience for clients across Asia, make him ideally suited to this regional role."  

Lewis succeeds partner Austin Sweeney who has held this position for four years, and is now returning to his corporate practice.

"I'd also like to thank Austin for his untiring work across the entire region for the last four years, and look forward to working with him in the region for many years to come," said Scott.

Co-CEO Sonya Leydecker said: "Our firm's strategy is to deliver our platform and people to our clients and to promote innovation and excellent service delivery.  Lewis has shown he successfully delivers in all these areas, and I am sure he will continue to do so in this new role."

Lewis McDonald said: "It is an honour to be given the opportunity to lead our Asia corporate team at this time.  We have enjoyed many successes in the region to date and we are supported by the resources and expertise of one of the biggest and best corporate practices in the world."

"I am looking forward to leading the practice during a time of growth and innovation to deliver the very best services to our Asia-based clients and those clients investing into the region." 

Notes for editors

1. A graduate of the University of Western Australia, Lewis started his legal career in Perth and joined Herbert Smith Freehills in London in 2005.  He moved to the firm's Singapore office in 2008 and was promoted to partner in 2010. He moved to Seoul in 2013 to establish the firm's office in South Korea.  In addition to his current role as managing partner of the Seoul office, Lewis coordinates the firm's Asia energy practice and is a member of the firm's Asia-Pacific executive committee. 
2. Herbert Smith Freehills has some 1,500 lawyers in Asia Pacific, advising clients on complex corporate, disputes and finance matters from offices in Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta*, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo, and in Australia, from Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. 
3. The firm has 24 corporate partners across Asia, with strong practices in energy and resources, infrastructure, telecommunications, media and technology, consumer products, financial buyers and other sectors.

About Herbert Smith Freehills

Operating from over 26 offices across Asia Pacific, EMEA and North America, Herbert Smith Freehills is at the heart of the new global business landscape providing premium quality, full-service legal advice. We provide many of the world’s most important organisations with access to market-leading dispute resolution, projects and transactional legal advice, combined with expertise in a number of global industry sectors, including energy, natural resources, infrastructure, technology and financial services. www.herbertsmithfreehills.com 

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