Paul Christopher

Overview

I lead our Corporate and Investment Funds team in Asia. I am also the Managing Partner of the Hong Kong office.

I regularly advise on corporate matters including mergers and acquisitions, investment funds, joint ventures and the restructuring of companies and structures. These will often be private equity-related transactions.

I was named as an elite lawyer by China Business Law Journal's A-list elite 100 lawyers in 2020. I have been with Mourant Ozannes since 1999 and consistently ranked in the legal directories since 2008.

Professional qualifications

• Solicitor, British Virgin Islands, 2013
• Advocate, Guernsey, 2003
• Solicitor, England, 1999 (currently non-practising)

Work highlights

• Advising Gaw Capital Advisors Limited on its sixth opportunity fund, Gateway Real Estate Fund VI, LP to raise $2 billion in total equity commitments. The Fund invests in real estate and real estate related opportunities in the Asia-Pacific Region.
• Advising Blackstone on its acquisition of a 70 percent stake in the Greater Bay Area’s largest urban logistics park Guangzhou International Airport R&F Integrated Logistics Park from Guangzhou R&F Properties for US$1.1 billion.
• Advising MaiCapital on the launch of a tokenized investment fund, and formation of a related SPV. This is one of the first actively managed hedge funds in Asia to be tokenized.

What the directories say

'Paul Christopher has great knowledge across a broad spectrum of corporate matters and delivers timely on-point advice,' Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2021. 

‘Paul Christopher is a very approachable managing partner and ready to share his experience and insight with our team.’ ‘Paul Christopher has great knowledge across a broad spectrum of corporate matters and delivers timely on-point advice.’ Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2021. 

'Paul is a highly commercial lawyer who is always very responsive and has a great manner with clients. He is very good at seeing the bigger picture for clients and what they want to achieve and will go the extra mile for them.' The Citywealth Leaders List, 2020.

Paul Christopher is recognised as a "very commercial lawyer who is always willing to give updates and help us behind the scenes." He has a wealth of experience in advising clients on investment funds issues under BVI and Cayman law.' Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2020.

Paul Christopher is described as "very impressive" in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2019.

Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2019, describes Paul as 'a highly prized fund specialist who attracts praise from sources, who note that he is "very reliable in terms of his technical ability and has the epitome of a commercial approach."'

'Paul Christopher 'knows the Cayman piece inside out, is always reliable and responsive, and commercial in his point of view',' Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2017.

Paul is described as 'solution-oriented' in Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2016.

'Hong Kong Managing Partner Paul Christopher is singled out for his quality corporate and finance advice, especially on major M&A transactions. As one client reports: 'He's very responsive, he knows his stuff and he's good under pressure."' Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2016

'Managing Partner Paul Christopher is noted for equity-side work and for his ‘balance of technical excellence and commerciality’,' Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2016.

'Managing Partner Paul Christopher is a highly-respected practitioner who regularly advises on the structuring and restructuring of offshore funds. 'He's just an easy person to deal with, commercial, sensible, and has a no-nonsense approach,' according to one client,' Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2015.

'Paul Christopher is 'good to deal with and understands the big issues',' Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, 2015