Anthony Root is the head of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy’s corporate practice in Asia and is the managing partner of the firm’s Beijing and Hong Kong offices. He has over 25 years of experience working with investment banks, financial investors, and corporations in private equity, public M&A, equity and debt capital markets, and restructurings. He practiced in New York for 10 years before moving to Asia in 1993.
Primary Focus & Experience
Mr. Root is one of the most experienced capital markets lawyers in Asia and has done major equity and debt offerings from virtually every country in Asia, including China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. He regularly represents both issuers and all underwriters.
He has over two decades of private equity experience in the United States and Asia. He regularly works with leading private equity firms in Asia, including Citi Venture Capital International (CVCI), Farallon Capital/Noonday, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Oaktree Capital and Olympus Capital and Unitas (formerly JP Morgan Partners). His deals include advising Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley on their initial investment in Ping An Insurance Company, Morgan Stanley in the formation of China International Capital Corporation (CICC), China Construction Bank in its US$12.5 billion strategic stake sale to Bank of America and Temasek Holdings, and Mongolian Mining Corp. in its acquisition of the Baruun Naran coal mine. Anthony frequently advises major China state-owned enterprises on outbound investments, including State Grid’s recent US$1.8 billion investment into Brazil.
Recognition & Accomplishments
Anthony has been designated as one of the “World’s Leading Capital Markets Lawyers” and “World’s Leading Private Equity Lawyers” by numerous publications, including IFLR, IFLR1000, AsiaLaw2005, Legal 500, Asia Pacific Legal 500, Global1,000, and Practical Law’s Private Equity Cross-Border Handbook. He is also ranked by Chambers as one of the “World's Leading Capital Markets Lawyers” for equity, debt, and India and is in Chambers’ #1 band for high yield. He was named one of ALB’s Hot 100 Lawyers in 2011, was cited in an Asiamoney poll of top lawyers in Asia, and is recommended for private equity/venture capital in Hong Kong by PLC Which Lawyers?.