Kirkland & Ellis International LLP > Shanghai, China > Firm Profile

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

China > Private equity: foreign firms Tier 1

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP‘s China offices are highly focused on complex private equity transactions, including LBOs and other M&A deals, PIPEs and joint ventures; and clients further benefit from the firm’s leveraging of its sponsor-focused debt finance, high-yield, restructuring and investment funds practices. A senior corporate partner splitting his time between Beijing and Shanghai, Chuan Li acts for strategic and private equity clients on an impressive range of transactions. The Hong Kong office showcases a number of highly regarded partners, namely Gary Li, whose recent track record includes deals for several leading global private clients; David Patrick Eich, who originally established the firm’s Europe and Asia offices; cross-border deal expert Daniel Dusek; Nicholas Norris, who has over 25 years’ experience in advising private equity firms; Joey Chau, a specialist in assisting private equity firms with acquisitions, disposals and corporate transactions; and David Zhang, whose deals frequently involve private equity investors.

China > Restructuring and insolvency: foreign firms Tier 1

Leveraging one of the largest, stand-alone restructuring groups worldwide, Kirkland & Ellis‘ Hong Kong-based Asia restructuring and insolvency practice assists companies, bondholders and banks with the full range of contentious and non-contentious restructuring work. The five-partner team has enviable experience in both North and Southeast Asia deals, including debt rescheduling and refinancings, workouts and restructurings, debt trading, and distressed acquisitions and financings. Other areas of strength include receiverships and liquidations, shareholder disputes, directors’ duties and schemes of arrangement. Widely respected for his assistance to large global companies in financial distress, Neil McDonald advises on an expansive range of issues that arise in the restructuring and insolvency of troubled companies; Kelly Naphtali‘s practice includes insolvency-related disputes; and Daniel Margulies specialises in restructuring and insolvency matters, as well as cross-border and special situation financings. Wei-Yang Lim, who is particularly focused on advising institutions that invest in distressed, stressed or special situation credits, was promoted to partner in 2020.

China > Dispute resolution: Litigation: foreign firms Tier 2

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP’s team, co-led by Kelly Naphtali, Tiana Zhang and Cori Lable, is primarily split between Hong Kong and Shanghai, although some members are based in the US, enabling multi-jurisdictional expertise at all stages of the litigation process. Zhang along with Yue Qiu and Jodi Wu are highly knowledgeable of multi-jurisdictional patent litigation. Zhang, as well as Los Angeles-based Yi-Chin Ho, is also well-versed in cases pertaining to corruption. Naphtali, Paul Quinn, Amy Ngan, Fergus Saurin and Richard Sharpe all have extensive experience concerning disputes regarding accusations of negligence in liquidations across multiple jurisdictions. In 2020, David Harrington, previously of MinterEllisonRuddWatts, joined as a partner whilst Saurin and Qiu were both promoted to the partnership. Tarun Warriar departed to Varde Partners.

China > Regulatory/compliance: foreign firms Tier 2

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP’s Shanghai-based regulatory team handles complex multi-jurisdictional cases across Asia and other parts of the wider world. The team, co-led by Hong Kong-based Cori Lable and Shanghai-based Tiana Zhang, has extensive experience in handling numerous highly sensitive, complicated and cross-border government investigations, enforcement actions, civil litigation, and related compliance advice. Zhang is a go-to for US-China cross-border crisis management, including complex financial fraud investigations by audit committees and special committees of China-based companies listed overseas, and China-related high-stakes compliance and trade secret theft investigations by multinational companies. Richard Sharpe is a further name to note who is supported by China investigation specialists Jodi Wu and the recently promoted partner Yue Qiu in Shanghai.

China > Corporate and M&A: foreign firms Tier 3

Founded in Chicago, Kirkland & Ellis International LLP fields one of the largest global corporate and M&A practices with over 900 practitioners worldwide and c.100 dedicated attorneys based at the firm’s Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing offices. The group thrives on the full array of transaction types, in both Hong Kong and the PRC, handling private equity, SPAC and cross-border deals on behalf of US, Asia and Hong Kong-listed companies. Chuan Li who splits his time between the two China offices, is adept in the full array of corporate transactions from acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures through to PIPEs, going private deals and growth equity investments.

China > Investment funds: foreign firms Tier 3

With a core focus on private equity matters, the areas of expertise for Kirkland & Ellis International LLP‘s investment funds group cover buyout funds, funds of funds, credit and growth funds, limited partner representations, placement agent representations, restructuring, and carry and co-investment structuring. The Hong Kong-based team also includes experts in relation to Security and Exchange Commission-registered advisers, and assists with the regulatory issues surrounding private investment funds and their management companies. The principal figures are Justin Dolling, who regularly acts for high-profile general partners, China private funds practice head Carol Liu, and fundraising and secondary specialist Damian Jacobs.

China > Banking and finance: foreign firms Tier 4

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP‘s Hong-Kong-based banking and finance team is widely respected for private equity borrower and complex credit fund work. Jacqueline Zheng advises on cross-border acquisition financing, structured finance, direct lending and special situations transactions. Recent growth includes the recruitment of debt finance partner Manas Chandrashekar from Latham & Watkins LLP and the promotion of leveraged and acquisition finance expert Gautam Agarwal to partner. Former Asia debt finance head David Irvine joined Goodwin‘s London office in May 2021.

Hong Kong > Regulatory: anti-corruption and compliance

At Kirkland & Ellis, ‘turnaround time is quick and availability is impressive’. The team focuses on assisting large corporates with sensitive issues involving internal and agency investigations into potential and alleged fraud, bribery and corruption, improper payments and other misconduct. The practice is spearheaded by Cori Lable in Hong Kong and Tiana Zhang in Shanghai.