Latham & Watkins LLP > Beijing, China > Firm Profile
Latham & Watkins LLP Offices

UNIT 2318, CHINA WORLD TRADE OFFICE 2
1 JIAN GUO MEN WAI AVENUE
BEIJING 100004
China
Latham & Watkins LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
China > Restructuring and insolvency: foreign firms Tier 2
Latham & Watkins LLP’s Greater China restructuring and insolvency practice is frequently instructed on an impressive array of both debtor-side and creditor-side mandates, including workouts, restructurings and bankruptcy cases. The team recently advised on offshore debts borrowed or issued by Chinese corporations, and was involved in matters across the capital structure on behalf of borrowers, sponsors, institutional and distressed investors (individually and as ad hoc committees). Clients additionally benefit from the team's local expertise in public high-yield bonds and private bank debts, as well as its consistent collaboration with the firm’s pan-European and US restructuring and special situations teams. In Hong Kong, Howard Lam is a trusted adviser on China-related and Asia-based restructuring and insolvency matters; and Josef Athanas has over 30 years’ experience in representing debtors, secured creditors and other parties of interest in US bankruptcy and reorganisation cases.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Huachen Energy
DongYing Fangyuan Nonferrous Metals Co
DongYing Lufang Metals Material Co
Offshore Partners Pte
PWC
BFAM Partners
The Ad Hoc Committee of Noteholders of USD Notes
issued by Top Wise Excellence Enterprise Co
Ad Hoc Committee of Noteholders of Hidili Industry
International Development
Bank of China
EY
Hang Seng Bank
China Orient Asset Management
FTI Consulting
Hong Kong Bank
China > Dispute resolution: Litigation: foreign firms Tier 3
With a central Greater China team led by Hui Xu and supported by Asia-wide litigators as part of the firm’s OneAsia strategy, Latham & Watkins LLP hosts extensive professional expertise in resolving multi-jurisdictional disputes within the region. Xu is experienced in a wide variety of geopolitically sensitive trade disputes and has worked both with Catherine McBride and with Ing Loong Yang when advising on fraud investigations. Both Xu and McBride have conducted a number of internal investigations for clients; McBride and Yang are highly experienced in handling contract violations disputes. Catherine Palmer retired.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited
China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited
Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
China Orient Asset Management (International) Holding Limited
United Microelectronics Corporation
Shenzhen Senior Technology Material Co., Ltd.
Work highlights
- Assisted China COSCO Shipping Corporation with the lifting of US sanctions.
- Assisted Sinovac Biotech’s Board of Directors with its actions of dissident shareholders.
- Represented United Microelectronics Corp in a “China Initiative” trade secret case brought by the US Department of Justice.
China > Projects and energy: foreign firms Tier 3
Regularly partnering up with practitioners throughout the firm’s global network, Latham & Watkins LLP’s Hong Kong-based China-facing practice is well-positioned to advise on large-scale multijurisdictional energy projects. Clients include a varied mix of state-owned and global energy companies, funds, and early-stage entities, and includes transactional work throughout the value chain, cutting across both conventional and renewables energy projects. Although his roots are in the oil and gas sector, team head David Blumental ’s practice has effectively moved in line with the market and now embraces corporate, finance and M&A work in the renewables space, as well as mandates involving emerging energy technologies, including waste-to-energy and hydrogen fuel cells.Practice head(s):
Key clients
CNOOC Limited (and its subsidiaries and affiliates)
ENN Energy Holdings Limited (and its subsidiaries and affiliates)
Gazprom Neft
Guohua Energy Investment Co., Ltd. (a member of China Energy Investment Group)
Harbin Electric International Co., Ltd.
Ocean Minerals LLC
Pertamina
PTT Public Company Limited (and its affiliates, PTT Global LNG Company Limited, PTT Exploration and Production, and PTT Global Chemical)
Repsol S.A.
San Miguel Energy
TOTAL SE
X-Elio Energy, S.L.
China > Regulatory/compliance: foreign firms Tier 3
As part of its OneAsia strategy, Latham & Watkins LLP’s Greater China practice hosts extensive regional expertise across multiple jurisdictions supporting its delivery of high-stakes and complex casework for multinational companies and financial institutions. Hui Xu leads the team from Beijing and focuses on advising clients in multijurisdictional white-collar investigations and litigation. Xu recently assisted China Cisco Shipping Corporation with the delisting from the US sanction list. Hong Kong-based litigator Catherine McBride has a wealth of knowledge and expertise in enforcement proceedings, regulatory and criminal investigations in Hong Kong and cross-border.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
China Life Insurance (Overseas) Company Limited
China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited
Sinovac Biotech Ltd.
Warburg Pincus Asia LLC
Work highlights
- Advised Warburg Pincus Asia on the compliance-related due diligence on JD Property, in relations to a series A preferred share financing, with a specific focus on the FCPA and sanctions.
- Assisted China COSCO Shipping Corporation in lifting US sanctions under the Trump administration.
- Successfully represented the Board of Directors of Sinovac Biotech in its defense against dissident shareholders.
China > TMT: foreign firms Tier 3
Latham & Watkins LLP‘s Hong Kong-based TMT group regularly advises on technology transactions, including cloud computing, commercial contracts, security, data privacy, and IP and software licensing; and it is additionally sought out for its notable experience in digital and disruptive technology, e-commerce, fintech, outsourcing, payments and telecoms technology. The practice’s recent highlights include advising the buyer consortium (led by Tencent Holdings and Hammer Capital Opportunities Fund) on the $1.1bn going-private transaction of Bitauto Holdings. Frank Sun frequently acts on prominent buyouts and transactions involving Chinese technology clients; and associate Kieran Donovan leads the Hong Kong data and technology transactions practice.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Tencent Holdings
Tencent Music Entertainment Group
Tencent Mobility
Kuaishou Technology
HSBC
Bilibili
Xiaomi Corporation
Airwallex
Qihoo360
Prudential
Vipshop Holdings
Work highlights
- Advised Tencent Holdings (Tencent) on its proposal for Huya (Tencent’s controlled subsidiary) to enter into a stock-for-stock merger with DouYu International, in which Tencent is the largest shareholder.
- Advised a buyer consortium (led by Tencent and Hammer Capital) on Bitauto’s $1.1bn privatisation.
- Advised Tencent Holdings on privacy issues, commercial transactions and telecoms matters.
China > Corporate and M&A: foreign firms Tier 4
LA-founded firm Latham & Watkins LLP is instructed on M&A transactions throughout the entirety of South East Asia. The department is led by Hong Kong-based Simon Cooke and is proficient in public and private M&A, joint ventures, equity investments, disposals and privatisations. The group counts its understanding of the corporate governing components of transactions as a keystone and is complemented by close integration with the firm’s wider capital markets, bank finance, antitrust, competition, private equity, export controls and economic sanction departments.Practice head(s):
Key clients
Tencent Holdings Limited
Kuaishou
Warburg Pincus Asia LLC
Bilibili Inc.
HKBN Ltd.
Sinotrans Limited
Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd.
CITIC Capital
The Carlyle Group
Vingroup Joint Stock Company Limited
China Jinmao Holdings Group Limited
Work highlights
- Advising Tencent Holdings Limited (Tencent) on its proposal for Huya, Tencent’s controlled subsidiary, to enter into a stock-for-stock merger with DouYu International, of which Tencent is the largest shareholder.
- Advised buyer consortium led by Tencent and Hammer Capital on Bitauto’s US$1.1bn privatisation and advising Tencent as a joint offeror on the consequential mandatory general offer for the shares of Bitauto’s Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, Yixin Group Limited, under the Hong Kong Takecovers Code.
- Advised CITIC Capital, as a member of the buyer consortium, on the US$4.76bn privatization of US-listed China Biologic Products Holdings Inc., a developer of plasma-based therapies.
China > Private equity: foreign firms Tier 4
Latham & Watkins LLP‘s Greater China private equity practice has strong relationships with some of the most active regional and global private equity sector participants, including The Carlyle Group, Warburg Pincus, TPG, Platinum Equity, CVC and KKR. Heading the Asia private equity practice, Simon Cooke advises on domestic and cross-border buyouts, pre-IPO deals, PIPEs and privatisations; Amy Beckingham is key to the private equity practice’s regional growth; and Frank Sun is a widely recognised China-facing private equity specialist. All of the above individuals are based in Hong Kong.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Warburg Pincus
TPG
Platinum Equity
The Carlyle Group
Trustar Capital
Baring Private Equity Asia
Partners Group
CVC
KKR
Boyu Capital
MBK Partners
CDH Investments
Primavera
China > Banking and finance: foreign firms Tier 5
Latham & Watkins LLP‘s Hong Kong-based practice covers acquisition financing, syndicated lending, mezzanine facilities, structured note and private placement transactions, and leveraged lending and recapitalisation transactions. Howard Lam acts on China-related financings, and Singapore-based Timothy Hia is the local chair of the finance department in Asia. The team welcomed finance expert Andrew Bishop who recently joining from White & Case, but lost Manas Chandrashekar and Gary Hamp.Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Bank of America
The Carlyle Group
Morgan Stanley
Bain Capital
TPG
Baring Private Equity
Platinum Equity
Warburg Pincus
BNPP
JPMorgan Chase Bank
HSBC
Citibank
Partners Group
Bank of China
Hopu Capital
Tencent Holdings
I Squared
China > Data protection: foreign firms
Latham & Watkins LLP > Firm Profile
The firm: Latham & Watkins is a leading international law firm serving multinational companies, start-ups, investment banks, private equity funds, venture capital firms, sovereign wealth funds, governments and other organisations. The firm’s globally integrated platform spans Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the US, and consists of internationally recognised practices across a wide spectrum of transactional, litigation, corporate and regulatory areas. Latham attorneys offer unrivalled legal resources and strategic commercial thinking to provide clients with innovative solutions to complex commercial matters.
Asia practice: Businesses and investors seeking innovative solutions to their most complex corporate, financial, regulatory and litigation challenges turn to Latham in Asia for strategic thinking and experienced counsel. Latham has extensive experience advising on the international aspects of a broad range of corporate and finance transactions for clients across the region, notably Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. With more than 150 lawyers operating from six offices in Asia, Latham provides clients in the region and clients looking to do business in Asia with expert advice under US, English, Hong Kong, Japanese and Singapore law. Latham’s deep roots in the financial and economic markets in the region are further strengthened by the firm’s local language capabilities.
Latham continues to receive awards and acclaim from a number of leading financial and legal publications for landmark and precedent-setting deals.
Areas of practice: As part of the Greater China practice, lawyers in the Beijing office handle a range of transactions, including international capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private equity, restructurings and project financings. The firm’s clients regularly take advantage of the Greater China practice’s intimate knowledge of the marketplace and are supported by the full resources of Latham & Watkins’ global network of offices.
Members of the team draw on more than 25 years of experience advising clients doing business in China. As counsel to issuers or underwriters, the firm’s lawyers have been involved in many international equity, debt and equity-linked offerings by issuers in China and across Asia. The firm also represents some of the world’s largest private equity funds and multinational corporations in their acquisitions or investments in the PRC, across Asia and globally. In addition, the firm regularly acts as lead counsel for the sponsors or lenders on the region’s landmark power, petrochemical, and oil and gas projects. The team also advises US, European, Middle Eastern and Asian companies conducting business in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
Beijing-based lawyers regularly work with the major Chinese law firms on PRC projects, and are experienced in co-ordinating the work of local counsel to provide seamless legal services to clients.
The team includes lawyers who are fluent in Chinese languages and dialects including Mandarin, Cantonese, Shanghainese, Hakka and Taiwanese and have received US, English and PRC legal education and training.
Main Contacts
Department | Name | Telephone | |
---|---|---|---|
Antitrust and competition | |||
Banking and finance | |||
Capital markets | |||
Corporate governance | |||
Data privacy and cyber security | |||
Energy | |||
Entertainment, sports and media | |||
Foreign direct investment | |||
High yield | |||
International arbitration | |||
Mergers and acquisitions | |||
Private equity | |||
Project development and finance | |||
Public company representation | |||
Restructuring, insolvency and workouts | |||
White-collar defence and investigations |
Staff Figures
Number of lawyers : more than 2,400 in Asia : 120+Languages
Cantonese English Mandarin Shanghainese TaiwaneseLegal Briefings
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