May M.Y. Lau

May’s practice focuses on property investment and property development. Her practice covers acquisition and disposal of properties taking the form of share sale/purchase, and structuring, documentation and negotiation of joint ventures for acquisition or development of real property in the region. Her practice also covers land matters relating to infrastructure projects.

• Advising a major entertainment company in connection with its Sino-foreign joint venture for the development of a theme park in Shanghai.
• Acting for the investment banking arm of a major US bank in the documentation and negotiation of joint ventures for various development projects in major cities in Greater China (including Shanghai, Changsha, Shenyang, Taishan and Hong Kong). Such deals include the formation of offshore joint ventures for acquisition of development sites, the acquisition of development sites in mainland China through acquisition of equity interest in the onshore company holding the development site, the delegation of project management of the development project to an onshore developer, and mezzanine financing to the development joint venture provided by the client bank.
• Acting for investment funds managed by an asset management subsidiary of a Hong Kong listed developer in acquisition and disposal of various properties in Greater China (including Nanjing, Dalian, Shanghai and Hong Kong). Such acquisitions/disposals were carried out by means of acquisition/disposal of shares in offshore companies holding indirectly the target properties. Such deals include simultaneous refinancing of existing onshore and offshore financing.
• Acting for major US private equity funds in the documentation and negotiation of offshore and onshore joint ventures for acquisition and development of properties in mainland China (including Tianjin, Dalian and Foshan).
• Acting for investment funds managed by one of the world’s leading real estate investment managers in disposal of various properties in mainland China and Macau and in the documentation and negotiation of offshore and onshore joint ventures for acquisition and development of properties in mainland China (including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan). Such disposals were carried out by means of disposal of shares in offshore companies holding indirectly the target properties.
• Acting for a Hong Kong listed company, which is the leading property developer in Macau, in its disposal of and formation of joint venture for development in Macau.
• Acting for a listed developer in Hong Kong in the injection of mixed-use seed projects in mainland China into a private equity fund sponsored by the listed developer.

• Up and Coming (Real Estate (International Firms), China: International) – Chambers Greater China Region 2023
• Next Generation Partner (Real Estate, Hong Kong) – Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2023)

• New Zealand Law Society - Member
• Law Society of Hong Kong - Member