Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP > Beijing, China > Firm Profile

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

China > Labour and employment: foreign firms Tier 1

With longstanding experience in advising corporations on challenging workforce matters, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s mainland China-based team combines a full-service employment practice with expertise in China’s evolving employment laws and data protection laws and regulations, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and China’s anti-corruption laws. The practice advises on the employment aspects of M&A, restructuring and contract drafting, while clients also benefit from the team’s assistance with hiring, termination, and workforce reductions. The practice additionally stands out for its ability to respond to the pace of change in China’s employment laws, frequently advising on amendments to handbooks, policies, pay practices, executive compensation, employee benefits, international secondments and expatriation. Team head Lesli Ligorner is a well-regarded employment and immigration practitioner with an impressive and longstanding list of international clients, Todd Liao advises large multinationals active in China, and Qian Nie is a key associate. In Hong Kong, Charles Mo is a contentious and non-contentious employment specialist, and works closely with the mainland China-based team.

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

Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has significantly expanded its presence in the Far East over recent years and now boasts a presence across Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Singapore. Its corporate and M&A practice is split into four key offerings, namely international M&A, handled alongside the firms European and US offices, private equity transactions, supporting overseas clients on their inbound investments and guiding clients through their Hong Kong IPOs. In Shanghai, Mitch Dudek runs a varied workload which sees him engaged on restructuring, foreign direct investment and joint venture transactions in addition to asset and corporate structure divestitures. The other key partner in China is Beijing-based Ning Zhang who also spends time in Hong Kong and has transacted countless investment, acquisition and divestment deals.

China > Private equity: foreign firms Tier 3

With ‘in-depth knowledge of the private equity market in China‘, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s Greater China practice regularly advises some of the world’s largest private equity funds on their China-related buyout, investment, restructuring and divestment activities. On the mainland, Alex Wang‘s experience includes assisting private equity and hedge funds with complex cross-border and offshore transactions within China. Possessing approximately 30 years’ private equity transactional experience, Maurice Hoo leads the China-based team of private equity-dedicated lawyers from Hong Kong. Ning Zhang works across the Hong Kong and Beijing offices.

China > Regulatory/compliance: foreign firms Tier 3

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP handles a wide range of issues related to anti-corruption and regulatory compliance, bringing decades of experience and a cross-disciplinary team of lawyers to its work. It also regularly advises on the development of compliance programmes. The team is jointly led by Lesli Ligorner, Todd Liao, and Charles Mo operating from its Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong offices respectively. Ligorner's corporate investigation practice is closely supported by her employment practice, in which she is experienced in handling employee conduct and operational issues, and Liao has notable experience handling matters related to the FCPA in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

China > TMT: foreign firms Tier 3

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius’ TMT work spans multiple practice areas; and the firm’s large corporate team, which has expanded in recent years across Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong offices, regularly acts for large names in the technology sector, as well as the investment funds and financial institutions that power the industry. Heading the firm’s corporate/M&A and private equity practice in Hong Kong, Maurice Hoo acts for prominent companies in the mobile technology, e-commerce, semiconductors, telecoms and enterprise software sectors. Edwin Luk, who splits his time between the firm’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices, also has an active TMT practice.

United Arab Emirates > Employment

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP‘s employment practice handles both contentious and non-contentious work. The team has particular expertise in employee investigations, terminations and regulatory advice. Rebecca Kelly heads the practice and has in-depth knowledge of the healthcare sector, and Mark Gilligan in Abu Dhabi is also notable.