White & Case appoints four partners to Asia practice

White & Case yesterday announced the appointment of four new partners to the law firm's Asia offices. The newly named partners will be situated in the Hong Kong, Tokyo and Beijing offices.

Two of the new partners will be based in the Hong Kong office. Anna-Marie Slot, a New York-qualified securities lawyer who represents companies on corporate finance transactions such as high-yield debt offerings, as well as Rule 144A and Reg-S debt and equity offerings. John Shum will also be based in Hong Kong. Qualified in New York and England, his practice involves working on leveraged finance transactions, as well as representing both debtors and creditors in Chapter 11 reorganisation cases.

Michael Shikuma is a partner that will be based in the Tokyo office. He is a certified public accountant and a gaikokuho jimu bengoshi. He has been admitted to practice for the Hawaii State Bar. His areas of focus are taxation in cross-border transactions and restructurings, as well as assisting high-net-worth individuals with their personal and international estate planning. Another partner who joined the Tokyo office in September 2008 is Joy Fuyuno, who works in the antitrust practice.

Vivian Tsoi has been made a partner in Beijing. Having transferred from California to China in 2005, Tsoi works on M&A transactions - both China inbound and outbound. Her clients have made investments in sectors such as telecommunications, financial services, oil and gas, and real estate. The naming of Tsoi follows the hiring last October of Karen Tang, a finance and real estate partner, and Yongjun Peter Ni, a tax partner, to work in the Shanghai office.

Also this month, the company transferred William Kirschner from Washington DC to Singapore. He is a partner whose focus is cross-border private equity and corporate finance transactions in Asia, especially India.