Carol Hall to Head Walkers' New Hong Kong Investment Funds Group

Integrated Private Equity, Distressed and Hedge Fund Practices to Offer Expanded Expertise

HONG KONG, January 19 - Leading International Financial Centre law firm Walkers is pleased to
announce the appointment of Carol Hall as Head of its newly-formed Investment
Funds Group in Hong Kong. Clients in the region will benefit from the Group's
expertise across the full spectrum of investment funds, covering hedge funds,
private equity and distressed funds.

"Asia and Hong Kong in particular have been considerable focal points for
Walkers' growth in recent years and we have received an excellent response
from our clients in this region," said Ms. Hall. "The combination of
specialist hedge fund and private equity attorneys within Walkers' Investment
Funds Group will ensure we continue to provide advice that is commercially
aware and technically excellent. We will also look for ways to add value,
with a focus on responsiveness, which have always been hallmarks of Walkers'
client service model."

Ms. Hall has more than 17 years experience in mergers and acquisitions,
corporate finance and investment funds, including 11 years specifically in
Hong Kong. She specialises in hedge funds and private equity funds and has
led the development of Walkers' Hedge Funds practice in Hong Kong since
joining as a partner in 2005. Ms. Hall will be supported in her role by
partner Denise Wong who has a focus on hedge funds, private equity funds and
all areas of corporate transactions.

"We anticipate a period of sustained hedge fund start-up activity in Asia
over the next 12-to-18 months, with more managers from mainland China setting
up shop in Hong Kong or Singapore and attracting money from mainland
investors," Ms. Wong said. "Potential legislative changes could also result
in managers establishing representative offices in or, in some cases, fully
relocating to Asia from Europe and the United States."

Within the Investment Funds Group in Hong Kong, Walkers' attorneys
possess unrivalled experience in all aspects of private equity fund
structures and transactions including fund raising, secured lending, due
diligence, mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and other exit strategies. The
group's expertise in distressed funds is particularly highly regarded and
Walkers regularly acts for funds, investors, service providers and affected
financial institutions on distressed funds matters. In addition, clients in
Asia are further supported by Walkers' Singapore office which operates
seamlessly with the Hong Kong office.

"Our experience in establishing funds of virtually every known strategy
and style for all the major players in the market gives Walkers a unique
perspective on the investment funds industry. Those insights ultimately
benefit our global clients," said Ms. Hall. "With the resurgence in client
activity that we have seen in recent months in Asia, and with many managers
now looking to structure funds with more complex strategies and higher levels
of liquidity, 2010 promises to be a particularly interesting time for the
market. Our expertise will be particularly important to ensure that our
clients can structure funds that will meet their goals."

Walkers' Investment Funds Group is one of the largest specialist offshore
investment funds teams in the world, with more than 85 lawyers across seven
international offices, advising on the laws of the Cayman Islands, the
British Virgin Islands and Jersey. The firm advises most of the world's best
known names in the investment funds world, including administrators, asset
managers, promoters, institutional investors, private equity houses and
onshore law firms. Walkers' Global Investment Funds Group is co-headed by
partners Rod Palmer in Dubai and Vicki Hazelden in the Cayman Islands.

"I know that Carol will be able to take the Hong Kong Investment Funds
team to the next level, and help move the global organisation forward. The
integrated nature of our Global Investment Funds Group ensures that we are
accessible to our clients anywhere at any time," said Mr. Palmer. "Our job is
to be a core member of our clients' team and we are committed to delivering
world-class client service whether the client is in Hong Kong, the United
States, London, or anywhere on the globe."

Walkers' Investment Funds Group further benefits from access to a range
of corporate, trustee and independent director services provided by Walkers
Fund Services Limited, Walkers Corporate Services Limited and Walkers
Corporate Services (BVI) Limited.

About The Walkers Group

From offices in the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dubai, Hong
Kong, Jersey, London, and Singapore, the Walkers group provides legal and
management services to leading FORTUNE 100 and FTSE 100 global corporations
and financial institutions, capital markets participants, investment fund
managers, and growth-and middle-market companies. The Walkers group is
comprised of leading offshore law firm, Walkers; fund services provider,
Walkers Fund Services Limited; and SPV and corporate services providers,
Walkers SPV Limited, Walkers Corporate Services Limited and Walkers Corporate
Services (BVI) Limited.

Walkers' expertise has been validated by numerous awards including
"Offshore Law Firm of the Year" by Alpha Magazine, The Lawyer, PLC Which
Lawyer? and Asian Legal Business. Walkers has also been honoured as the PLC
Which Lawyer? Yearbook Leading Cayman Islands Law Firm, Who's Who Legal Law
Firm of the Year: Cayman Islands and has shared honours for "Offshore Legal
Team of the Year" by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Many of Walkers' attorneys have also been recognised by the industry and
their peers.

For more information on the Walkers group, visit us on the web at
www.walkersglobal.com or contact us by e-mail at info@walkersglobal.com. To
contact Walkers by phone, call our Cayman Islands office at +345-949-0100,
our Hong Kong office at +852-2284-4566, or our Singapore office at
+65-6595-4670.

Megan Fox, Levick Strategic Communications for Walkers, +1-202-973-5308, Mobile: +1-202-596-0707, mfox at levick.com