June 26, 2013
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP has appointed Kelly Austin as Partner in Charge of the firm’s Hong Kong office.
“We are very pleased that Kelly will lead the firm’s Hong Kong office,” said Ken Doran, Chairman and Managing Partner of Gibson Dunn. “Kelly has a strong practice and strong ties to the Asia business community, having been based in Hong Kong and worked across Asia for many years. Her experience and excellent judgment will be of great benefit to the office, and we are confident that the office will continue to prosper under her leadership.”
About Kelly Austin
A member of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice, Austin focuses on government investigations, regulatory compliance and international disputes. She has extensive expertise in corporate internal investigations, including those involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and in creating and implementing effective compliance programs.
A founding partner of the Hong Kong office, Austin joined the firm when it opened its Hong Kong office in 2010. Before that, Austin served as the Compliance and Litigation Counsel for General Electric in Asia. In that role, she coordinated litigation, alternative dispute resolution proceedings, government and internal investigations, and compliance matters for the GE businesses throughout the region.
Austin was named the “Best Lawyer” for the second year running in the Corporate Governance category of the 2012 Asia Women in Business Law Awards; is ranked as a leading lawyer in the category “Dispute Resolution: Anti-Corruption: China” by both Chambers Global 2013 and Chambers Asia Pacific 2013; is recommended by PLC Which Lawyer? 2012 as a leading lawyer in the field of “China and Hong Kong: Corporate Crime, Fraud and Investigations”; and was named to Asian Legal Business’ 2010 Hot 100, which recognizes Asia “lawyers who have risen above the rest in the most challenging of years for legal markets across Asia.”
Austin graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1993.
About the Hong Kong Office
Gibson Dunn’s Hong Kong office focuses on cross-border transactions, as well as corporate compliance, regulation and investigations. The Hong Kong office has the capacity to handle the most challenging and substantial transactions anywhere in Asia, and with 1,100 lawyers across the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, the firm can serve the business needs of its international clients around the world.
Gibson Dunn’s lawyers in the Hong Kong office have lived and worked in the region for many years and possess an in-depth understanding of the legal and business cultural environment. They have broad experience with foreign investment in China, cross-border mergers & acquisitions for Hong Kong and U.S. companies, and representation of private equity and pooled investment funds across the region. On the compliance side, attorneys in the Hong Kong office have extensive experience designing and running compliance programs and leading internal and government investigations on the most sensitive matters.
In addition to Gibson Dunn’s strong presence in Asia, as a major global law firm with 18 offices worldwide, its clients can draw on the firm’s expertise in New York and London in global capital markets work, for example, and its depth in Northern and Southern California in the technology, media, healthcare and real estate sectors. In addition, Gibson Dunn is recognized as one of the premier litigation firms in the world and regularly represents Asian and other clients in court actions, arbitrations and other forums in connection with matters of the highest significance.