Paul Chow spent more than 15 years working as a partner at some of the world’s most prestigious law firms. But private practice was never going to be his end game.

Earlier in his career, the Hong Kong-based lawyer was a partner at U.K.-based Linklaters and Slaughter and May. In 2011, he joined Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he worked for almost nine years advising on some of China’s largest and most pivotal listings and mergers and acquisitions.