International firms in China will need to gear up as the competition gets fiercer. Kirkland & Ellis LLP has taken its first step onto the mainland by opening the firm’s tenth office – in Shanghai.
The new office, which will be led by corporate PE and M&A partners Li Xiaoyang and Li Chuan, will represent international private equity firms and Chinese entities abroad. “Cross-border transactions involving China are inherently complex. Getting a deal done often requires experienced M&A lawyers in both mainland China and Hong Kong,” said Li.
Kirkland & Ellis employs approximately 1,500 lawyers in offices across Hong Kong, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. The firm has a focus on private equity, corporate and tax, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, restructuring, and the IP sectors.
This is Kirkland’s second office opening in Asia. The Hong Kong branch, which opened three years ago, focuses on transactional business for PE funds and serial strategic acquirers. Kirkland’s Hong Kong office has represented numerous PE firms, including China Investment Corporation (CIC) and Bain Capital, in its landmark investment in the largest Chinese retail enterprise GOME Electrical Appliances.
“The Shanghai office is a direct response to our clients' growing activity in China, and we also see opportunities to serve rapidly globalising Chinese companies,” said Thomas Yannucci, chair of Kirkland's firmwide management committee.
Li Xiaoyang joined Kirkland last year from Jun He’s Beijing office. Experienced in M&A deals involving PE funds and companies in China, he was the managing partner of the corporate practice group and a member of the management committee of King & Wood, before his role at Jun He.
Li Chuan joined Kirkland's Chicago office in 2001, where he focused on leveraged buyouts and other complex deals for large and mid-market PE funds. Li relocated to Hong Kong in 2007, where he was involved in complex transactions by US companies like GM and Kellogg Company.
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