HFW grows greater China team with senior partner and of counsel hires

HFW has grown its greater China team with the addition of senior partner Brinton Scott and of counsel Danielle Peng to its Shanghai branch.

The firm first established its transactional practice in Shanghai with a team from Squire Patton Boggs in 2019.

“HFW has been part of the Greater China legal market for a long time and has an outstanding reputation for litigation and its sector expertise in areas such as aviation, insurance and shipping. But what it's been doing recently in corporate has really got a lot of people's attention – it now has significant teams on the ground in Shanghai and Hong Kong, and I'm excited to be part of that continued growth,” Scott said.

Before joining HFW, Scott was Winston & Strawn’s managing partner in Shanghai. He also served as Shanghai managing partner and China practice lead at Clyde & Co when it was previously known as Barlow Lyde & Gilbert.

He has nearly 25 years of experience operating from China, and has worked with major multinational corporations and investment funds in sectors like insurance, aviation and healthcare. He has tackled transactions involving M&A, FDI, joint ventures, restructuring, investigations and white-collar crime, employment, IP and technology.

In addition to his role at HFW, Scott also chairs the legal committee of the American Chamber of Commerce’s Shanghai arm.

“HFW's position as a world leader in insurance presents very strong synergies with my practice, and the firm's large international network – both across Asia and globally – will be a great benefit to my clients,” Scott said. “I'm also looking to working again with Danielle – she's a fantastic lawyer and HFW getting her on board is a real coup. Add the fact that I know quite a few of the HFW partners from my time at Barlows, and it feels like I'm coming home.”

Scott worked with Peng while both were at Winston & Strawn and Herbert Smith Freehills.  

Peng has been an advisor to multinational corporations, working on cross-border M&A and FDI matters and helping to negotiate and draft acquisition agreements. She has handled due diligence, deal structuring, general corporate, compliance, government and regulatory matters in China.

She served as the APAC legal senior director of Cooper Standard, a US-based automotive systems and components business. She took the lead on the company’s legal affairs in China, Korea, India, Japan and Singapore.

“I am very pleased to welcome Brinton and Danielle to HFW. Brinton is one of the most experienced international lawyers in China – he's a true seasoned veteran – and Danielle is a skilled practitioner who adds another dimension thanks to her considerable in-house experience,” said Nick Poynder, HFW’s Shanghai office head. “Together, they give a real boost to our corporate and M&A practice – particularly in supporting multinational organisations with their inbound PRC investments, to complement our existing strength in advising PRC companies domestically and abroad.”