LexisNexis® 40 UNDER 40 2024
William Ho
Partner
K&L Gates
“William Ho is an excellent lawyer all round, has a great mix of clients. Great technical knowledge and background, and is a thought leader in the fintech space.” - Client comments in Legal500.
Will Ho leads K&L Gates’ technology practice in Asia. In addition to representing major private equity funds in their investments across Asia, Will also represents technology companies across their life cycles, on all aspects of their capital raisings, joint ventures, acquisitions and exits.
In 2023, Will led a cross-border team from K&L Gates in Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taiwan, and Shanghai and advised 17LIVE as global lead counsel on its SG$1.2 billion de-SPAC on the SGX, the only de-SPAC completed in Asia at the time. The innovative aspects of this deal resulted in K&L Gates being awarded ALB's M&A Deal of the Year (South East Asia) as well as being simultaneously nominated for ALB’s ECM Deal of the Year (South East Asia). Will also advised EQT as lead investor in Klook’s most recent fundraising round which raised an aggregate of US$210 million, and Will was recognized by ALB as one of the Super 50 TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) Lawyers in Asia.
Will established the first K&L Gates internship program in Hong Kong in 2024. The K&L Gates internship program welcomed its first Korean intern through a collaboration with the Hong Kong Law Society’s Korean Internship Programme 2024. In the field of public welfare services, Will continues to support and participate in various activities organized by K&L Gates including its annual Global Service Day.
Will continues to be active in contributing to the body of legal knowledge through authoring and updating PLC articles published by Thomson Reuters relating to M&A transactions. His commercial and legal knowledge and skills are kept up to date through attending various conferences in venture capital, private equity and technology. Outside of his legal career, Will continues to pursue his passion in aviation. He is dual-qualified as a fixed wing pilot (in Australia and the U.S.) and is also qualified as a U.S. FAA ground instructor. In his spare time, he teaches aviation theory and instrument flight rules to aspiring aviators.