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Paul Hastings is one of the leading global law firms with a strong presence in and commitment to the People's Republic of China.
Over the last 30 years, as a result of our clients' growing needs and success, we have also grown to nearly 150 attorneys across our Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong offices.
In China, our clients rank among Fortune 100 and 500 companies, multi-nationals from Asia, China and globally, and leading international and Chinese financial institutions. Our established client base together with our China-based legal teams, our expertise and our in-depth knowledge of China, positions Paul Hastings as a market leader in serving clients with cutting edge legal advice.
Shanghai – a strong base in China's commercial hub
Our Shanghai office, established by a team of China-based corporate attorneys with strong knowledge of and experience in Shanghai and China, is strategically located in the centre of China's international commercial hub. Our legal team, comprising more than 80 legal professionals, is led by 11 partners and includes highly-skilled multi-lingual U.S., Chinese and Japanese attorneys, all resident in Shanghai on a full-time basis.
Our Shanghai team provides a full range of legal services to meet our clients' business needs, including the following:
- Foreign Direct Investment and Joint Ventures
- Real Estate Investment and Development and REITs
- Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Finance
- Private Equity and Venture Capital
- Labor, Employment and Immigration
- International Trade and Regulatory
- Intellectual Property
- Technology, Telecommunications and E-Commerce
- Non-performing Loans and Distressed Assets
We also help clients with outbound investments in international debt and equity capital markets, project finance, securitization and structured finance, international trade and regulatory matters.
Pioneering China Foreign Direct Investment
Paul Hastings' China team has been at the forefront of advising foreign investors on important commercial transactions with China since the early 1980s and our documentation of China investment deals has led to the development of an established and comprehensive range of high quality legal services for foreign investors.Our clients in China include many of the world's 500 largest corporations, as listed by Fortune, who have invested in numerous Chinese joint ventures, cooperatives, wholly-owned enterprises and other investment contracts.
Our Shanghai team is skilled in representing clients in a broad range of investments from the initial establishment of offices or subsidiaries in the region, to the acquisition of existing business entities and creation of new business entities. We advise our clients on relevant domestic and international corporate laws, securities laws, environmental laws, tax laws, as well as a host of other laws that may relate to a particular client's needs.
Working with our network of offices in China, Asia, Europe and the US, we are well placed to provide a comprehensive range of legal services on international and cross-border joint ventures.
Real Estate Investment and Development
Voted by Chambers as Real Estate Law Firm of the Year for three consecutive years, Paul Hastings has a cutting edge real estate practice in China. Led by experienced real estate partners based in Shanghai and Beijing, our team of real estate attorneys advises on the investment and development of a full range of properties on behalf of foreign and domestic investors and companies. We have been heavily involved in non-recourse lending and the structuring of real estate-related joint ventures, trust structures, and other investment vehicles used in China. We are also actively involved in the development of conduit lending programs and securitization for foreign real estate investors and Chinese companies.In China and Hong Kong, our team also provides legal advice on a full range of real estate transactions including the sale, purchase, mortgage, and leasing of residential and commercial properties. We represent lenders in a vast array of secured lending transactions ranging from syndicated loans, debentures, building loans, and other mortgages. We also act for banks and financial institutions in the acquisition of mortgage portfolios and the sale of valuable commercial properties and building sites by auction, tender, and other private sale. We have experience in handling numerous property development projects.
We also have a dedicated team of REITs attorneys who have advised on REITs regionally, as well as in China. Our team acted for the manager in the award-winning GZI REIT, the first PRC property REIT to list in Hong Kong in December 2005.
Japan-China Practice
Paul Hastings is one of the few international firms in China to provide a dedicated and experienced Japan-China team. Led by a Japan-qualified (bengoshi) partner in Shanghai and a U.S. partner in Beijing, our Japan-China team advises Japanese and international clients on their investments in China across a broad range of issues, and works to achieve creative, practical, and commercially successful solutions for their investments and business operations in both China and Japan.Employment Practice
Recently named Global Management Labour and Employment Law Firm of the Year by The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, Paul Hastings delivers first-rate strategic employment advice to multinational companies in China and to Asia-based companies in the U.S. and other countries. We provide critical expertise in China's diverse employment laws and employment regulatory systems.Our employment group in China advises multinational clients on the legal environment in China in relation to due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, traditional labor law, equal employment opportunities, wrongful discharge, sexual harassment, wage and hour, employee benefits, and other employment-related issues. Our experience in identifying and understanding cultural differences is invaluable in our representation of international clients throughout China.
As the volume of cross-border acquisitions involving businesses in China and Asia increases, our insight into the employment laws and customs of China and other jurisdictions is valued by our international clients. Our lawyers have counseled many foreign companies on employment issues in China. As part of our practice, our China team advises clients on immigration issues relating to setting up and running business operations in China.
Private Equity and Venture Capital
Our Greater China private equity team has extensive experience in advising clients on a broad range of private equity and venture capital investment transactions involving both emerging and established companies in Greater China as well as the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.We have acted for both major international or regional private equity and venture capital funds, strategic and financial investors and companies receiving investments across a range of industries throughout the region. We participate in structuring, negotiating, documenting and implementing initial and later stage financings, follow-on investments, and restructurings, as well as divestments, frequently in multi-jurisdictional settings involving complex, and in some cases, innovative structures. We are also experienced in advising on the structuring and establishment of venture capital and other types of investment funds, mostly with an investment focus in Greater China, Korea, Japan and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.