The American Lawyer



The American Lawyer

Vol. XXV, No. 1

Copyright 2003 by American Lawyer Media, ALM LLC

January 2003

45 UNDER FORTY-FIVE: THE RISING STARS OF THE PRIVATE BAR

In 1995, The American Lawyer identified the private bar's next generation of

leaders. Now, we look back at them--and ahead to their successors.

The word “elite” comes from an Old French verb meaning “to choose.” In its

modern connotation, the word has also come to stand for high achievement.

Both meanings apply to the special report that follows--the culmination of an

intensive effort by the staff of The American Lawyer to choose 45 of the

highestperforming members of the private bar under the age of 45.

We had help. Many months ago, we contacted all the firms in The Am Law 200

to seek their nominations. We also spun our own Rolodexes, scanned Web sites

and news clippings, and reached out to luminaries within particular practice

areas to solicit their thoughts.

As for criteria, there were a very few. We looked for prodigies who had

already notched a major trial win or complex deal, for those who had

established remarkable records of professional development, for those who

could point to an independent book of business, for those who might have

overcome adversity. We also looked far and wide. It would be possible to

construct a list of 45 young bankruptcy specialists whose accomplishments

were noteworthy (particularly in this market), but we wanted to draw from

many walks of law.

The result, we think, will stand up over time. That was certainly true of

the alumni from our last such effort; their impressive updates appear

throughout the following pages. So, for all you elitists out there, happy

talent scouting.

Chun Wei, 43

Sullivan & Cromwell, Beijing/Hong Kong

Chun Wei is “one of the few lawyers you'll ever run into” who can navigate the business and cultural divide between China and Wall Street, according to Donald Walkovik, the former managing partner of Sullivan's Hong Kong office. “She's able to bridge gaps brilliantly,” he says.

Wei was born and raised in Nanjing, China. After graduating from Beijing University in 1983 with a bachelor of laws (LL.B) degree, she headed for Columbia Law School in New York, where she received a master of laws degree as part of a U.S.-China exchange program. She also participated in Sullivan's nine-month foreign lawyer program—the first lawyer from mainland China to do so—before returning to Beijing University to teach law. Wei left academia in 1989 to rejoin New York's Sullivan as an associate.

When Walkovik opened the firm's Hong Kong outpost in 1992, he recruited her for the office. One of only three Sullivan lawyers in Hong Kong, Wei soon found herself working as issuer's counsel on the initial public offering of Tsingtao Brewery Co. Ltd., the first overseas stock exchange listing in China. In 1997 she made partner, and two years later she became the first managing partner of the firm's Beijing office. Currently there are five lawyers assigned to the office.

Wei's practice revolves around securities offerings. She was issuer's counsel for all three of China's telecommunications IPOs, including the $5.65 billion U.S. public offering of China Unicom Limited in 2000, the largest IPO in China's history. She has also represented the issuer or underwriters for the public offerings and stock exchange listings of PetroChina Company Limited, Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, and China

Eastern Airlines Corporation Limited.

Wei and her husband live in Hong Kong so their two sons can attend Hong Kong International School, which is modeled after the American school system. She frequently makes the three-hour flight to Beijing. Her oldest son, Oliver, 8, is named after Oliver Twist, the Charles Dickens character. At Oliver's suggestion, his 4-year-old brother, Kevin, was named after the main character of the American television show The Wonder Years.

More cultural gaps bridged.

1/2003 AMLAW 85

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