Sullivan & Cromwell is targeting further mandates in China with the appointment of Calvin Lai as special counsel and head of its Beijing office.

Lai rejoins the firm where he started his career from Goldman Sachs' special execution group. With the investment bank since leaving Sullcrom's Hong Kong office in 2000, Lai worked alongside his new employer on the Chunghwa Telecom IPO - an ALB Deal of the Year, 2003 - where Sullcrom advised the underwriters led by Goldman, Merrill Lynch and UBS.

Lai hopes to build on the success Sullcrom enjoyed in the PRC in 2003. This included acting on the TCL merger with Thomson - another ALB Deal of the Year, 2003 - as well as advising on China Telecom's acquisition of the six fixed-line assets from parent China Telecommunications.