press releases
Top Hong Kong Competition Lawyer Joins O’Melveny
July 25, 2017FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HONG KONG—July 25, 2017—Former Executive Director (General Counsel) at the Hong Kong Competition Commission (HKCC) Philip Monaghan is joining O’Melveny as a partner in the Antitrust & Competition Practice in the firm’s Hong Kong office.
Monaghan served as the first Executive Director (General Counsel) of the HKCC, which was created in 2013 to prohibit conduct that prevents, restricts, or distorts competition in Hong Kong. In that position, Monaghan oversaw the HKCC’s Legal Division, served as a member of the HKCC’s executive management team, and played a key role in drafting the HKCC’s guidelines and various policy documents.
“O’Melveny has a preeminent competition practice in the US and Europe, serving clients facing antitrust scrutiny and litigation across the globe,” Monaghan said. “I’m excited to bring my knowledge of the Hong Kong and Asia markets to such a high-caliber team.”
In addition to his work with the HKCC, Monaghan is an English- and Hong Kong-qualified lawyer with nearly 15 years of practice in all areas of competition law, including restrictive agreements and cartels, abuse of market power, merger control, and market studies.
“With more aggressive prosecution of competition offenses expected out of Asia, and Hong Kong specifically, Philip’s extensive experience in this area will help our clients avoid potential antitrust pitfalls when doing cross-border business in Asia,” said Ian Simmons, co-chair of O’Melveny’s Antitrust & Competition Practice. “And as a Hong Kong-qualified lawyer, Philip can act directly for major multinational corporations facing antitrust litigation in Hong Kong. We’re thrilled to have him join our growing team in that office.”
Hong Kong is a gateway for many international companies doing business in Mainland China, so O’Melveny has been targeting the jurisdiction for growth, adding several lateral partners over the past few years—Denis Brock, Ron Cheng, and Edwin Kwok. The firm plans to continue offering a high-quality, sophisticated practice in Mainland China and Hong Kong that is integrated with the rest of the firm and committed to serving, to the greatest extent possible, firmwide clients in practice areas where O’Melveny has depth and scope, including entertainment, sports, and media deal-making, cyber counseling, antitrust and competition litigation, investment funds, and cross-border M&A. The firm also is having more of our US partners travel to China for extended periods, with Tony Wang splitting his time between California and Beijing as the latest example.
“As one of the first international law firms in the market, we understand what works for our firm and for our clients. Our Asia offices, especially in China, need to be fully integrated into our firmwide capabilities. We function best as One O’Melveny,” said Bradley J. Butwin, chair of O’Melveny. “The lawyers in our Asia offices are an integral part of both the transactions and litigation needs of many of our firmwide clients, and we’ll continue to look for top talent like Philip to expand on our key areas of strength in the region.”
About O’Melveny
O’Melveny’s clients shape markets, set precedents, and break boundaries. They are stalwarts and innovators, the names you trust and the next big thing. And for more than a century, O’Melveny has been right beside them, kicking down walls and putting up defenses to help our clients achieve their most important goals. With approximately 700 lawyers in 15 offices worldwide guided by the principles of excellence, leadership, and citizenship, we uphold a tradition of treating our clients’ challenges and opportunities as our own. What do you want to achieve? For the answers, please visit www.omm.com.
Contact:
Julie Fei
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
213.430.7792
jfei@omm.com
Chris Till
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
202.383.5237
ctill@omm.com