Baker McKenzie > Taipei, Taiwan > Firm Profile

Baker McKenzie > The Legal 500 Rankings

Taiwan > Antitrust and competition Tier 1

Baker McKenzie advises large multinational corporations, tech conglomerates, manufacturers and media companies on their antitrust and competition matters including litigation, compliance, and antitrust aspects of large corporate M&A work. The leadership of the team is split between Fang-Yi Jen and Sonya Hsu. As an experienced market control and cartel specialist Jen advises on merger control, investigations, abuse of market power, distributorship, vertical pricing, and antitrust compliance training programs. Litigator Hsu handles cartel investigations, abuse of dominance investigations, vertical restriction and other antitrust-related litigation.

Taiwan > Banking and finance Tier 1

Baker McKenzie remains at the forefront of the Taiwanese banking and finance market acting for the most renowned banks, financial institutions, renewable energy companies, and corporate borrowers. It advises on the full range of banking matters. The practice is jointly led by Justin Liang who specialises in project finance, and Hao-Ray Hu who leads on license applications, post-acquisition integration and bancassurance transactions. Bee Leay Teo is noted for project finance and derivative products as well as financial restructuring and regulations. Evangeline Wang is also recommended.

Taiwan > Capital markets Tier 1

Baker McKenzie’s capital markets team remains a stanchion within the Taiwanese market, advising on some of the largest deals for major clients including insurance companies, semiconductor manufacturers, and pharmaceutical conglomerates. The team regularly advises on bond issuances, divestments, IPOs, listings and acquisitions for both vanilla bonds and more complex financial instruments. It has been increasingly instructed by Taiwanese clients looking to list on foreign stock exchanges. The team is jointly led by Wen-Yen Kang and Alex Chiang. Kang specialises in cross-border equity offerings whilst Chiang is noted for handling large-scale equity capital markets mandates. Mark Tu is recommended for securities offerings.

Taiwan > Corporate and M&A Tier 1

Praised as ‘excellent in all respects’, the corporate, M&A and PE team at Baker McKenzie has a strong footing in the Taiwanese market and dominates the industry. The multi-jurisdictional team regularly advises on M&A, disposals, reverse acquisitions, divestitures, and hostile takeovers, and is increasingly handling ESG matters. The team is spearheaded by Kevin Wang, who regularly advises on complex mergers and acquisition transactions, related merger filings, foreign investment matters and international trade, and Hao-Ray Hu who is noted for assisting financial services companies in license applications, post-acquisition integration and bancassurance transactions. Michael Wong advises on the tax aspects of transactions whilst Gwyneth Gu is noted for inbound and outbound cross-border transactions including green energy-related deals. Mark Tu and Julia King are also recommended.

Taiwan > Dispute resolution Tier 1

Leveraging its impressive global footprint, Baker McKenzie’s Taipei office handles highly complex litigation which often spans several jurisdictions including the Cayman Islands and The British Virgin Islands. The team has a significant wealth of experience handling commercial and trust litigation, international arbitration, and cross-border wealth disputes. Its clients includes a mix of private clients, international and PRC-based clients. The ‘exceptional’ Anna Hwang who is dual-qualified in New York and Henry Chang jointly lead the team. Recent highlights include acting for a prolific Taiwanese family trust on a major international litigations involving Bermuda, U.S. and English law regarding a complex multinational wealth dispute.

Taiwan > Intellectual property

Counting global fashion brands, make-up companies, consumer goods conglomerates and fruit trades among its key roster of clients, Baker McKenzie houses a market-leading practice, acting for clients with operations across the US, China and Taiwan, and handling IP litigation, filings, enforcement and protection mandates. The team is led by Grace Shao, who maintains a strong track record in litigating high-profile IP cases, with additional experience in patent and trademark management and enforcement, and copyright matters. Other key contacts in the group include Monica Chao, who acts for clients across the luxury goods, high-tech and consumer goods industries, and Da-Fa Feng.

Taiwan > Labour and employment Tier 1

Baker McKenzie retains its longstanding status as a key player in labour and employment law in the Taiwanese market. Key clients range from international private companies and conglomerates to banks, and technology companies. The firm’s capabilities extend to handling compliance matters and pre-employment background checks, in addition to litigation, wrongful termination lawsuits, workplace injury lawsuits and internal investigations. Renowned Seraphim Ma leads the practice and is supported by key team members Howard Shiu and Pamela Tsai.

Taiwan > Projects and energy Tier 1

With a particularly strong hold on the country’s various offshore wind farm projects, Baker McKenzie leverages its status as an international full-service law firm to advise its clients, which range from international technology conglomerates and European infrastructure developers to local energy and power companies. Taipei trio Tiffany Huang, Murray Bowler and Su-Fen Chen lead the firm’s projects and energy, mining and infrastructure team. Huang is an expert on complex infrastructure contracts. Bowler covers innovative cross-border financings in Taiwan and leverages his experience to advise on renewable energy project financings, as well as offshore/onshore wind and solar project developments. Chen advises on solar power plants and wind projects.

Taiwan > Real estate and construction Tier 1

Baker McKenzie remains at the forefront of the real estate industry and displays particular strengths in commercial leasing and real estate financing transactions. The team is regularly instructed on major construction projects including utilities and power plants, transportation projects and office buildings. Tiffany Huang has a wealth of experience in construction contracts and disputes in major infrastructure projects. The recently promoted partner Jun Chen handles non-contentious real estate and construction matters and real estate regulatory matters.

Taiwan > Tax Tier 1

The team at Baker McKenzie seamlessly integrates its international offices as well as its local team to advise a range of the world’s major banks, companies and private wealth groups and as such remains at the forefront of the market. It regularly advises on risk, and tax implications of corporate structure changes but also integrates well with its M&A and employment teams. The team is led by Taipei-duo Michael Wong and Peggy Chiu. In addition to advising companies, Wong also excels at acting for high-net-worth families on private banking, wealth management and cross-border legal and tax issues, including the use of trust and foundations, wills and private holding companies. Chiu leverages her background as an accountant to advise on cross-border tax matters and is also an expert in advising banks on anti-tax avoidance checks, and anti-money laundering checks.

Taiwan > TMT Tier 1

The team at Baker McKenzie remains at the forefront of the industry with a strong practice spanning regulatory, licensing and commercial disputes. The firm’s impressive client roster features major multinational organisations, private companies, banks, technology companies and retailers. The team is led by Taipei-based duo Henry Chang and Louis Hsieh. Hsieh has experience handling data protection matters and excels at advising domestic and international TMT entities on M&A transactions and regulatory matters.

Taiwan > Data protection Tier 2

With a swathe of international clients under its roster, the team at Baker McKenzie frequently assists large international corporations with their integration within the Taiwanese market. The firm is known for handling all areas of data privacy law, compliance, data breach notifications, personal data transfers, ransomware issues and policy creation. Its data protection law offering is able to harness the firm's status as an international law firm in advising clients on multi-jurisdictional issues. The team is led by co-heads Henry Chang and Grace Shao.