2021年6月21日，中国招聘网站前程无忧与由德弘资本（DCP）、鸥翎投资（Ocean Link）和前程无忧CEO甄荣辉（Rick Yan）组成的买方财团就前程无忧私有化交易签订合并协议，交易对价约为57亿美元。方达律师事务所、凯易律师事务所、威嘉律师事务所、宝维斯律师事务所为买方财团提供法律意见；君合律师事务所、达维律师事务所、盛信律师事务所则担任前程无忧律师。

前程无忧成立于1998年，总部位于上海，是中国领先的综合人力资源服务提供商，于2004年在美国纳斯达克上市。此次私有化交易预计将于2021年下半年完成。合并后的前程无忧将从纳斯达克退市。

方达团队由合伙人楼伟亮、丛大林、黄菁、陈兆乾、张毅牵头领导；凯易团队由合伙人Daniel Dusek、郑蓓旎牵头领导；威嘉律师事务所由合伙人Tim Gardner、Chris Welty牵头领导。达维团队的牵头合伙人为达维亚洲 （日本除外） 联席主管、全球合伙人苏雯华及北京办公室首席代表、全球合伙人张新华。

奥杰律师事务所、衡力斯律师事务所担任买方财团的离岸律师；迈普达律师事务所担任前程无忧的离岸律师。

瑞可利（Recruit Holdings）作为前程无忧现有最大股东亦参与了交易。美国苏利文·克伦威尔律师事务所为其提供法律意见；康德明律师事务所担任其离岸律师。

12 firms including Davis Polk and Kirkland & Ellis advise on 51job’s privatization

Kirkland & Ellis, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Fangda Partners are advising a consortium made up of DCP, Ocean Link and 51job’s CEO Rick Yan on a $5.7 billion merger and privatization of Nasdaq-listed 51job, a Chinese online recruiting platform, with Davis Polk & Wardwell, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and JunHe advising the company. 

Established in 1998, the Shanghai-based 51job is a Chinese comprehensive human resources-related services provider. It became listed in Nasdaq in 2004. This privatization is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021, following which 51job will withdraw from Nasdaq.

The K&E team is led by partners Daniel Dusek and Jacqueline Zheng. The Weil team is led by partners Tim Gardner and Chris Welty. The Davis Polk team’s leading partners are Miranda So and Howard Zhang. The Fangda team’s leading partners are Lou Weiliang, Cong Dalin, Huang Jing, Chen Zhaoqian and Zhangyi.

The consortium’s offshore lawyers are Ogier and Harney Westwood & Riegels, while 51job’s offshore legal matters are advised by Maples and Calder.

Sullivan & Cromwell and offshore lawyer Conyers Dill & Pearman are serving as the legal counsels of Recruit Holdings, 51job’s current largest shareholder, which is also participating the transaction.

To contact the editorial team, please email ALBEditor@thomsonreuters.com.