James leads the Hong Kong office where he specializes in capital markets, M&A and private equity transactions. James has been based in Hong Kong since 2000 and has developed expert knowledge advising clients across all of Asia.

Primary Focus & Experience

James has over 20 years of experience advising clients in every major country in Asia. He represents issuers and investment banks in a variety of debt, equity and equity-linked capital markets transactions, including high-yield, regulatory capital, corporate hybrids, Rule 144A/Regulation S transactions and SEC-registered offerings, privatizations and liability management transactions. Jim is highly active in the corporate space regularly advising clients on a variety of M&A, equity and leveraged finance transactions with particular focus on Southeast Asia. He also has extensive experience advising issuers and underwriters on offerings by sovereign and quasi-sovereign entities.

Recognition & Accomplishments

James heads Milbank’s Hong Kong office and is a top tier ranked lawyer in the Philippines, China and India by Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Global, 2019. Jim leads Milbank’s Legal 500 Tier One-ranked Philippines practice and is listed as a leading lawyer in Hong Kong in Debt Capital Markets and Equity Capital Markets in IFLR 1000.

James is the Vice-Chair of the International Securities Law Committee of the American Bar Association as well as the Co-Chair of the Practising Law Institute’s Annual Institute on Corporate & Securities Law in Hong Kong.

Edward F. Greene is senior counsel based in the New York office. Mr. Greene’s practice focuses on securities, corporate governance, regulatory and financial services reform and other corporate law matters.

Mr. Greene served as General Counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 1981 to 1982 and Director of the Division of Corporation Finance from 1979 to 1981. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Greene served as General Counsel of Citigroup’s Institutional Clients Group.

Mr. Greene is the author of a number of leading books and law review articles, including U.S. Regulation of the International Securities and Derivatives Markets and The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Analysis and Practice, both of which were co-authored with several partners at Cleary Gottlieb and are widely used as essential sources of practical advice. Mr. Greene has been recognized as one of the best capital markets lawyers by Chambers Global.

Mr. Greene originally joined the firm in 1982 and returned in 2009. During his more than 20 year tenure at Cleary Gottlieb, Mr. Greene was also resident in the firm’s Washington, Tokyo and London offices, and was the first licensed foreign lawyer to be admitted to practice law in Japan in 1987.

Mr. Greene received an LL.B. degree from Harvard Law School in 1966 and an undergraduate degree from Amherst College in 1963. Mr. Greene is currently a Senior Research Scholar & Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School and has been a Lecturer at the Harvard Law School, and an Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center. He was appointed to the Nomura Chair of International Securities Regulation (a part-time position) by the law faculty of the University of Tokyo for the 1989-1990 academic year, was Chairman of the Legal Advisory Board of the New York Stock Exchange from 1995 until 2001, and was a member of the SEC’s Advisory Committee on Capital Formation and Regulatory Processes. Mr. Greene is on the Board of Advisors of the Capital Markets Law Journal, published by Oxford University Press, and a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Practicing Law Institute (PLI).

Mr. Greene is a member of the Bar in New York.

Mina Park is a director and deputy general counsel at Citi, focusing on equity and debt capital markets, mergers & acquisitions advisory and investment banking.  She joined Citi in 2007, first in London and relocated to Hong Kong in 2010.  In her current role, Mina covers the Asia-Pacific region, ex-Japan and Australia.  Prior to joining Citi, Mina was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton in New York and London. 

Mina is a graduate of New York University School of Law and received her B.A. from Harvard University.  She is a member of the New York bar.

Stephen is the senior corporate partner in Freshfields Asia practice and a member of the global transactions team. Stephen splits his time between Hong Kong and Singapore. He was the co-head of Freshfields’ global capital markets practice for many years helping build a practice that has acted on many of the world’s most significant capital markets offerings and been responsible for many innovations in capital markets globally. His specializations include privatizations, debt and equity securities offerings, especially those with cross-border elements – he has worked on listings on over 15 different stock exchanges.  He has particular experience of dual listings and has worked on transactions involving ‘duals’ listed on Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, London, Almaty, Zagreb, Prague, Moscow, Kiev and several western European countries. He also has an active M&A practice and has recently been appointed a member of the takeover panel in Singapore.

Stephen has a well-earned reputation for driving deals to a successful conclusion through a combination of innovative thinking and carefully planned execution. He has been at Freshfields for nearly 40 years and a partner for over 30 years– clients benefit from his experience and his knowledge of the firm throughout the world.  He is a hands-on partner, always available for clients, and gets fully involved in any transaction.  He has spent time on secondment to clients and works hard at understanding client goals and challenges.

He has a deep understanding of market norms and practices, including the need to respect the fact that all companies are different.  His relationships with regulators around the world gives him a clear perspective and understanding of the policy drivers.

Stephen has practiced in the United States, for some of this time as US managing partner, throughout Europe and in Asia and has worked on transactions in over 50 countries – he is known for his global perspective and local knowledge. He is a highly experienced emerging markets specialist – one who can get the job done to international standards in a developing business and legal environment.

Qualifications and education

Stephen was educated at Christ’s College, Cambridge and is admitted to practice in England and in Hong Kong.