Antitrust and competition

We advise on all aspects of antitrust and PRC antimonopoly law, including mergers and clearances, cartels, abuse of dominance, investigations, compliance and antitrust litigation. We provide commercial solutions that will withstand scrutiny in the PRC and abroad. Our lawyers have experience in handling merger control clearance procedures for multinational clients, often in close coordination with foreign lawyers in matters requiring clearances across several jurisdictions.

Banking and finance

Banking and finance is one of our core practice areas, and we have capacity and experience in advising both international and local lenders and borrowers on a wide range of China-related financing transactions, including acquisition finance, real estate finance, bilateral and syndicated finance, and corporate lending. We are also well-equipped to provide PRC legal advice in respect of the full spectrum of banking and finance matters, such as financial services regulation, nonperforming loan recovery and enforcement, and debt restructurings.

Corporate and M&A

Corporate transactions have been at the forefront of driving business activities in China over the past decades.

We advise on domestic and cross-border transactions involving China, ranging from joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions and divestments, to corporate and commercial, corporate advisory, and regulatory & compliance.

The lawyers in our corporate and M&A team have vast experience in representing multinational corporates and domestic companies in their strategic planning, market entry and business establishment, as well as acquisitions and expansion, reorganisations, disposals and exits.

With our in-depth knowledge across a wide range of sectors, we are well positioned to offer clients commercially-oriented legal solutions and to assist them to seize business opportunities amid China’s changing regulatory landscape.

Data privacy, data compliance and cybersecurity

The regulatory landscape in China concerning data protection, data privacy and cybersecurity has evolved quickly and a complex set of cybersecurity and data protection laws have recently been put in place. We can advise domestic and international clients from a wide range of sectors on privacy and data compliance, privacy regulator investigations, cyber or data incident preparedness and response, data programs and compliance issues arising from the cross-border transfer of data and related projects. We also have industry specific experience with respect to the additional complexities faced by pharmaceutical and life sciences companies handling clinical or research data and patient data. We are committed to helping our clients navigate these compliance challenges and to effectively manage associated regulatory risks.

Debt capital markets

Our team has extensive experience of debt capital markets with a particular focus on offshore bond issuance by PRC enterprises or non-PRC enterprises under “overseas red-chip structures”.

Dispute resolution

Our dispute resolution practice focuses on commercial litigation before the People’s Courts in China and arbitrations seated in China and across Asia. We have particular expertise in the issues faced by financial institutions in disputes and arbitration and can also advise on the full spectrum of issues relating to financial regulation and compliance.

Bringing together our legal expertise in the trials, appeals and proceedings, as well as our knowledge of a wide range of industry sectors, we can represent Chinese and international financial institutions, domestic and multinational corporations, and professional advisors and aim to resolve their disputes satisfactorily through integrated solutions.

Equity capital markets

Working together with law firms in Hong Kong, we represent both sponsors/underwriters and Chinese issuers across a wide range of industry sectors on IPOs on the Hong Kong Exchange. We have a very strong track record of assisting Chinese companies raising funds on the Hong Kong market.

Foreign direct investment

We have experience in assisting a variety of international companies, as well as individual business owners, in all aspects of their China operations from the establishment of those operations through to the ongoing operation of the business. We strive to ensure that our clients receive both practical and value-added advice on both the legal and commercial aspects of their proposal.

Intellectual property

Our IP services cover all aspects of patents, trademarks, copyright, trade secrets and domain names in the fields of, in particular, telecommunications, electronics, software, semiconductors, IC design, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, e-business, media as well as other traditional industrial areas. We deliver effective IPR solutions in addition to providing conventional IP services and have accumulated extensive experience in the implementation of such solutions as well as in assisting in taking action regarding infringements.

Labour

Our team is led by a senior, highly experienced, specialist labour lawyer who has more than two decades of practical experience as well as theoretical research on employment and labour law. We provide clients with the full spectrum labour and employment services, both contentious and non-contentious. Not only do we act as a legal advisor to our clients but we also operate as a business partner, assisting our clients in managing risks and designing practical and pragmatic solutions for their issues whether this relates to recruitment, labour contract termination/expiration, M&A, restructuring, incentives, compliance investigations or other challenging issues relating to human resource management.

Our team is comprised of experienced lawyers who practice exclusively in this area of law, and have a track record of helping international and Chinese clients to manage risks and to design practical and pragmatic solutions for their intricate and complex labour issues.

Private equity

Our team has experience of advising well-known funds and leading companies on fundraising; and investment transactions, both domestically and internationally.

Regulatory, compliance and investigation

Our regulatory, compliance and investigation practice helps clients navigate the complex legal and regulatory environment and provides practical solutions in China. 

Our lawyers provide clients with a ‘one-stop,’ connected service to help navigate the legal, procedural, governance and reputational aspects of regulatory and compliance issues, investigations and litigation in China. Drawing on multi-disciplinary knowledge from our teams, we advise on a wide array of contentious and non-contentious compliance and regulatory issues, including regulatory and compliance programmes.

We also advise on discovery processes relating to overseas legal proceedings, and in connection with anti-bribery and corruption proceedings. Our lawyers also advise on data collection, digital forensics and eDiscovery issues that may arise out of such matters. The team also specialises in constructing sophisticated investigative and discovery processes, which allows the investigations to be conducted efficiently.