DLA Piper bolsters Hong Kong capital markets capabilities with market leading ECM partner and team

Global law firm DLA Piper has hired Sherlyn Lau, a leading IPO and Equity Capital Markets partner as its Head of Capital Markets and Corporate Finance, APAC, in its Hong Kong office.

Joining from Sidley Austin - where she served as Deputy Head of Sidley Austin’s multidisciplinary China Corporate and Finance practice - Sherlyn comes with a team of 12 experienced capital markets practitioners. She and her team join the firm's Asia Corporate practice, led by Roy Chan, and the Equity Capital Markets practice in Greater China, which includes Hong Kong-based partners George Wu and Christina Loh, and Beijing-based partners Yang Ge and Vivian Liu.

Sherlyn is one of the most respected equity capital markets lawyers in Hong Kong, bringing two decades of experience advising on Hong Kong IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, secondary equity fundraisings, listing rules compliance and pre-IPO private placements. Her arrival, together with her team will bolster DLA Piper’s existing in-depth understanding of the Hong Kong and Mainland China capital markets and their regulatory and commercial landscapes.

She has led numerous complex, high profile and first of its kind transactions across multiple sectors including life sciences and biotech, emerging technology and mining and resources. Her client base spans leading Chinese and international investment banks as well as a significant number of Hong Kong – listed companies and those in the process of being listed.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s largest capital markets, and in 2025 reclaimed its top position in the global IPO market rankings for the first time since 2019. With an all-time high of active IPO applications, Hong Kong is well positioned to maintain its IPO momentum into 2026 and beyond.

Sherlyn’s appointment follows several other notable partner hires made into DLA Piper’s Corporate practice in recent months, including Oliver Crowley, Chris Field and Anthea Bamford in London, along with Koji Yamamoto and Yoshiyuki Omori and their team in Tokyo.

Jean-Pierre Douglas-Henry, Managing Director for Asia Pacific said: “Sherlyn’s arrival is a real game changer for our Corporate practice in Asia. Her impressive track record coupled with her exceptional expertise in the Hong Kong and Mainland China markets significantly enhance our ECM and broader Corporate capabilities in the region. This is a major step forward in positioning DLA Piper as a leading global firm in the region’s most influential financial centres.”

Jon Kenworthy, Global Co-Chair of DLA Piper’s Corporate Group added: “The appointment of Sherlyn and her team is significant for the firm and underscores our strategy to further strengthen our capabilities in key financial centres across Asia. Following the addition of several partners in strategic locations, DLA Piper is focusing its investment on expanding our regional footprint and enhancing our ability to support clients on their complex, cross-border opportunities.”

Sherlyn Lau concluded: "DLA Piper’s global platform is one which many firms aspire to have. Its strong presence across Asia means it is well placed to support businesses from across the region achieve their capital markets-related objectives. I am excited to join the firm at a time when Hong Kong is experiencing renewed momentum in the capital markets, and I look forward to contributing to our continued growth together with my team.”

In the last 12 months, DLA Piper’s Corporate practice has advised on some of the largest deals including:

• advising StonePeak on the acquisition of a majority controlling stake in Castrol from bp
• guiding B&K Corporation through its Hong Kong IPO
• supporting UK brain monitoring start-up, CoMind on a funding round
• supporting Echelon on the creation of a joint venture with Iberdrola for a suite of Spanish datacentres
• advising Daimler Truck and Volvo Group on the establishment of a joint venture to develop a common software-defined vehicle platform
• supporting Benchmark Holdings on its proposal to return capital to Shareholders
• advising Barloworld on a ZAR23 billion cash offer
• guiding Chifeng Jilong Gold Mining Co., Ltd. IPO on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX)