Key Takeaways
- • Ashurst Perkins Coie, the newly merged global law firm (3,000+ lawyers across 50 offices with $2.8B in revenue), has appointed James Ford as a partner in its global investment funds practice, based in Hong Kong, to accelerate private capital growth.
- • The strategic hire targets the firm's expansion in private equity fund launches and advisory services across high-cap and mid-market transactions, leveraging the combined platform created by the Ashurst-Perkins Coie merger.
- • Ashurst Perkins Coie's private capital practice advises sponsors, investors, lenders, and portfolio companies across the full investment spectrum, including fund formation, add-on acquisitions, restructurings, and exits across technology, financial services, business services, energy, infrastructure, and healthcare sectors.
- • The Hong Kong appointment reflects the merged firm's strategic positioning in Asia-Pacific to support cross-border private capital transactions and deepen local market execution capabilities alongside coordinated international deal flow.
Summary
Ashurst Perkins Coie, the newly consolidated global law firm created through the merger of Ashurst and Perkins Coie, has appointed James Ford as a partner in its global investment funds practice based in Hong Kong. The appointment is positioned as a strategic move to accelerate the firm's private capital practice and support fund formation activities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The merger itself created a powerhouse platform: a 3,000+ lawyer firm operating across 50 offices with combined annual revenue of $2.8B. This scale provides the foundation for the firm's expanded ambitions in private capital advisory, where it serves sponsors, investors, lenders, and portfolio companies across the full transaction lifecycle—from initial fund launches through add-on acquisitions, reorganizations, and eventual exits.
Ashurst Perkins Coie's private capital practice maintains particular depth in advising private equity sponsors on both high-cap and mid-market fund launches. The firm brings established sector expertise across technology, financial services, business services, energy, infrastructure, industrials, consumer goods, and healthcare. This sector knowledge combines with transactional capability to support clients navigating complex domestic and cross-border investments.
The Hong Kong-based appointment of Ford underscores the merged firm's commitment to delivering "local market depth and seamless cross-border execution" across investment cycles. Recent client work includes advising firms like Arcus Infrastructure Partners on European infrastructure acquisitions and J.C. Flowers & Co on financial services sector investments, demonstrating the firm's reach in complex, multi-jurisdictional private capital transactions.
The timing of this partner hire reflects broader industry momentum in private capital, with merged platforms seeking to consolidate advisory capabilities across geographies and deepen regional execution strength in high-growth markets like Asia-Pacific.
The merger itself created a powerhouse platform: a 3,000+ lawyer firm operating across 50 offices with combined annual revenue of $2.8B. This scale provides the foundation for the firm's expanded ambitions in private capital advisory, where it serves sponsors, investors, lenders, and portfolio companies across the full transaction lifecycle—from initial fund launches through add-on acquisitions, reorganizations, and eventual exits.
Ashurst Perkins Coie's private capital practice maintains particular depth in advising private equity sponsors on both high-cap and mid-market fund launches. The firm brings established sector expertise across technology, financial services, business services, energy, infrastructure, industrials, consumer goods, and healthcare. This sector knowledge combines with transactional capability to support clients navigating complex domestic and cross-border investments.
The Hong Kong-based appointment of Ford underscores the merged firm's commitment to delivering "local market depth and seamless cross-border execution" across investment cycles. Recent client work includes advising firms like Arcus Infrastructure Partners on European infrastructure acquisitions and J.C. Flowers & Co on financial services sector investments, demonstrating the firm's reach in complex, multi-jurisdictional private capital transactions.
The timing of this partner hire reflects broader industry momentum in private capital, with merged platforms seeking to consolidate advisory capabilities across geographies and deepen regional execution strength in high-growth markets like Asia-Pacific.
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