Subscríbe
to our weekly newsletter

Your Name

Your eMail

published NOVEMBER 20, 2009

Winston & Strawn Expands China Presence With New Beijing and Shanghai Offices; Welcomes Corporate Partner Xiangyang Ge

Winston & Strawn LLP has announced that it is taking the next step in a remarkable period of expansion in China by opening offices in Beijing and Shanghai. The office expansion into mainland China was approved on October 21 by the People's Republic of China's (PRC) Ministry of Justice and follows the opening of Winston's Hong Kong office at the end of 2008. The firm's Beijing office is led by Xiangyang Ge, a prominent corporate and regulatory attorney who was formerly with another major international firm. Ge's largely cross-border mergers and acquisitions practice focuses on natural resources and assisting multinational clients acquiring businesses or assets in China, as well as assisting large Chinese companies seeking opportunities outside of China. Ge also has significant experience advising companies on PRC government relationships and regulatory issues involving corporate, antitrust, environmental, energy, crisis management, product liability, and foreign investment matters. Ge has an active client base in Beijing and Shanghai, and will be spending significant time in both offices. The new offices further bolster Winston & Strawn’s international trade practice, which has a strong track record of helping Chinese companies, as well as China’s Ministry of Commerce, across the range of trade remedy cases, including anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard proceedings. In addition to introducing the corporate team in Beijing and Shanghai, Winston anticipates growing the Shanghai office significantly and, in fact, is moving into expanded office space by the end of 2009. Further growth is also planned for both Beijing and Hong Kong. "These additional offices not only significantly extend the firm's footprint in Asia, but also add to our already strong team of sophisticated attorneys and to the quality and breadth of our capabilities there. China clearly plays an important role and we are excited about the opportunity to provide more comprehensive service to our clients there," said Thomas Fitzgerald, Winston & Strawn's managing partner. "We expect to continue our strategic expansion on a global basis—and in regions widely viewed as having the greatest growth opportunities for the firm as well as its corporate clientele. As the world market continues to rebound from last year's downturn, we see Asia, and China particularly, continuing to play an increasingly important role." Said Ge, "I joined Winston because of its growing international presence and global platform for cross-border transactional practices like mine, and its strong commitment to the China legal service market. I look forward to capitalizing on the firm's reputation in Europe and the United States in serving my existing clients." Ge has worked on high-profile transactions and matters, including IPOs of PetroChina Company Limited and Chalco, West-East Pipeline Project, PetroChina's US $2.5 billion acquisition of oil and gas assets in 11 jurisdictions, and Itochu’s US $700 million investment in Master Kong. Ge speaks fluent English, having been based in the United States for a number of years. Chambers Asia named Ge a leading lawyer in the field of competition/antitrust law. He was also recognized by PLC Which Lawyer as a recommended Chinese energy lawyer. Ge earned an L.L.M. from American University, Washington College of Law. He also received an L.L.M and an L.L.B. from Peking University Law School. "Xiangyang is a highly regarded attorney who brings added quality and breadth to our transactional capabilities in Asia," said Simon Luk, chairman of the firm's Asian practice, who is resident in Winston's Hong Kong office. The firm's Hong Kong office has substantial experience in corporate mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, private equity and fund formation, and real estate financing. It is also known for its wide-ranging experience in international arbitration and complex commercial litigation. "With our newest offices, we are confident we have laid a proper foundation for a pre-eminent Winston & Strawn presence in Asia, and we certainly look forward to serving a growing client base in Beijing and Shanghai, as well as in Hong Kong," concluded David Hall-Jones, the firm's managing partner for Asia. Winston & Strawn's chief representative for the Beijing office is Senior Chairman James R. Thompson, and the chief representative for the Shanghai office is Vincent Sol, managing partner of the firm's Paris office.