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Mishcon de Reya bolsters private client offer with US tax powerhouse duo in Hong Kong

Posted on 2 June 2023

Mishcon de Reya welcomes Timothy Burns and Wei Zhang in our expanding private client practice today. They will be based in Hong Kong and will work closely with our Singapore office and our associated office in Hong Kong, Karas So LLP.

Recognised as leaders for US tax within the wealth management community in Asia, Timothy and Wei are experienced practitioners in US tax and wealth planning for high-net-worth clients in Asia, including cross border trust and estate planning involving US beneficiaries, trusts created by US tax residents and wealth planning structures with US persons as fiduciaries. They also provide advice on expatriation, pre-immigration to the US, investment in US real estate and US federal tax and reporting compliance. Wei is well known for her work with private clients in the Greater China region as a native Mandarin speaker with degrees in Chinese and US law.

Timothy and Wei will be joining our existing private wealth team in Asia that includes Managing Associates Vincent Sim and Stephanie Lim Pierce in Singapore and Partner Jonathan Mok, Special Counsel Carmen Cheng and Senior Associate Wenwen Chai in our associated office in Hong Kong, Karas So LLP.

The additions of Timothy and Wei in Hong Kong follows quickly upon new joiner to our Singapore office earlier this month, Corporate Partner Si Wei Chua. This brings our Singapore transaction team to four partners focusing on M&A, corporate lending, restructuring and asset finance (shipping and aviation).

Managing Partner of Mishcon Singapore and Head of Asia, Tahirah Ara, said “US tax advice has proven critical to private client work in Asia, in large part due to the connections many wealthy Asian families have with the US. With Timothy and Wei joining, we will now offer comprehensive private client advice that includes US tax advice to our clients across Asia. The addition of Si Wei will help to further grow our transactions practice which has grown significantly from when we opened our Singapore office three years ago."

Kevin Gold, Executive Chairperson of Mishcon de Reya, said: "We believe that the growth of the private wealth industry in Asia is a long-term trend. With Timothy and Wei leading our US private client tax practice in Asia, we are ever closer to fulfilling our ambitious strategy for Asia with dual strength in our disputes and non-contentious private client practices."

Timothy commented: "Mishcon de Reya is the premier private client law firm, and we look forward to working with our new colleagues in Hong Kong and Singapore to build the firm's private client practice in Asia."

Wei added: "With Mishcon de Reya's fantastic platform and entrepreneurial approach, we will be able to offer our clients additional resources. We look forward to taking part in building the best private client team in Asia."

About Timothy Burns

Timothy has been advising high-net-worth clients in Asia on US federal tax issues since his relocation to Hong Kong in 2008. Timothy is frequently approached and quoted by media such as South China Morning Post, Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal on US federal tax issues. Timothy is also a regular speaker at wealth planning conferences across Asia. Timothy's work has garnered plaudits from leading industry publications such as Citywealth, WealthBriefingAsia, Chambers, and The Legal 500.

About Wei Zhang

Wei is originally from the PRC and majored in law as an undergraduate at Tsinghua University and subsequently received a US law degree from Boston University. She practised in the US for several years before relocating to Hong Kong in 2014. Wei is frequently quoted in the media, including WealthBriefingAsia, South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Economic Times. In addition, Wei is a frequent speaker at wealth planning conferences in Asia.  Wei also provides training to financial institutions on wealth planning and tax related issues. Wei has won numerous awards and accolades from leading industry publications such as Citywealth, WealthBriefing Asia, China Law & Practice, The Legal 500, Asian Legal Business, and Legal Week.

About Si Wei Chua

Si Wei regularly advises private equity clients and multinational companies on major cross-border M&A, private equity and joint venture transactions across a range of industry sectors throughout South-East Asia. Si Wei also has significant experience advising fund managers on the establishment of capital raising platforms for real estate investments across Asia Pacific. Prior to joining Mishcon de Reya LLP, Si Wei spent over 10 years at another international law firm based in Singapore.

Related coverage

Law.com
The Lawyer
Bloomberg Tax
Asian Legal Business

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