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Milton Cheng

Milton W. M. Cheng

Partner
Baker & McKenzie

Biography

Milton served as the Global Chair of Baker McKenzie from 2019 to 2025. During his tenure, Baker McKenzie strengthened its position as a trusted advisor to multinational corporations navigating complex cross-border challenges. As the first Asian to lead the Firm, Milton brought a distinctive cross-cultural leadership approach focused on pragmatism, inclusivity, and strategic innovation in an increasingly complex global business environment. His approach to leadership emphasizes collaborative decision-making and operational excellence while advancing the Firm's commitments to sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and technological innovation.

Milton’s leadership has been widely recognized by the legal industry, and he was named 'International Managing Partner of the Year' at The Asia Legal Awards in 2020. Milton was also awarded 'Outstanding Overseas Executive of the Year' at the annual Singapore Business Awards in 2021 — the first leader of a law firm to receive the award.

Practice Focus

Milton has considerable experience in mergers and acquisitions, real estate investment trusts, financial services regulation, corporate finance and corporate restructurings. He advises clients — including REIT and other asset managers, financial institutions, multinationals and Hong Kong-listed groups — on a wide range of acquisition, REIT, restructuring, regulatory and corporate finance matters. He has consistently been recognized as a leading lawyer in his field by Chambers Asia Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific and IFLR1000. Legal 500 Asia Pacific has acknowledged him as "The pioneer of Hong Kong REITs."

Representative Legal Matters

  • Acted for Fortune REIT as lead counsel on its Hong Kong/Singapore dual listing, the first REIT to be dual-listed on these two Exchanges.
  • Acted for Guangzhou Investment Company Limited on the establishment and IPO of GZI REIT, the first listed REIT with PRC mainland properties.
  • Acted for Champion REIT as lead counsel on the USD1.65 billion acquisition of the Langham Place Mall & Office Tower, and on its acquisition financing.
  • Acted on the IPOs and/or follow-on acquisitions by various REITs, including Fortune REIT, Yuexiu REIT, The Link REIT, Champion REIT, Regal REIT and Prosperity REIT.
  • Acted as lead counsel for Macquarie Bank on its acquisition from ING Bank of the ING group’s Asian equities businesses, covering more than 10 jurisdictions including Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
  • Represented a well-known US multinational corporation on its agreement with the Hong Kong Government for the construction, development, management and operation of Hong Kong’s first international theme park.

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Law Society of Hong Kong
  • Law Society of England & Wales

Admissions

  • Hong Kong (1993)
  • England & Wales~United Kingdom (1992)

Education

  • King's College London (LL.B.) (1989)

Languages

  • Cantonese
  • English
  • Mandarin

Previous Offices

  • London
  • Singapore
Baker & McKenzie, a Hong Kong partnership, is a member of Baker & McKenzie International, a Swiss Verein.