Guantao Law Firm

Corporate and M&A is one of Guantao’s core practice areas, in which it has been a market leader and is widely recognized for many years.  It has received rankings and recommendations from globally renowned legal rating agencies such as Chambers Global, Chambers Greater China Region, ALB, The Legal 500, IFLR1000, China Business Law Journal, LEGALBAND and Asialaw Profiles for a number of consecutive years. 

Guantao's Corporate and M&A team covers multiple jurisdictions, languages and cultures.  In recent years, Guantao has represented numerous domestic and foreign multinational corporations, funds and public companies on a number of well-known and complex M&A transactions.  The services cover all stages of transactions: from industry access laws and policies, deal structure design, due diligence investigation against the project and partner, project financing, preparation, negotiation and signing of transaction documents, regulatory approval, to project closings and synergy, involving various specialized areas such as tax, foreign exchange, compliance, environment, real estate, intellectual property, employment, antitrust, and the ability to speak various languages such as English, German, Spanish and Japanese.  Through these successful transactions, lawyers from multiple jurisdictions and specialties have worked together, demonstrating Guantao's depth of experience, efficient mobilization of resources, in-depth understanding of PRC legal and regulatory environment and international M&A transaction practice, comprehensive knowledge of tax, finance and business, and ability to accurately identify client needs and provide the best possible solutions in all aspects.

In addition, Guantao provides legal services on corporate governance to many clients, including Fortune 500 companies, well-known multinational companies, segmented sector leading companies, foreign and domestic listed companies, and investment funds.  Guantao has extensive experience in the areas of energy and natural resources, finance, high- tech, real estate and infrastructure, manufacturing, culture and entertainment, e-commerce, pharmaceutical, health and life sciences and many other industries. 

Guantao's corporate and M&A practices include but are not limited to:

• Business Establishment and Change

• Corporate governance

• Combinations and spinoffs

• Divestitures and business restructurings

• Onshore and cross-border M&A

• Mergers and acquisitions and material asset restructurings of listed companies

• Onshore and offshore private equity investments and strategic investments

• Long-term legal advisors

• Liquidation and dissolution of enterprises

Guantao is one of the earliest law firms that established real estate department, could provide full and whole industry legal services to all kinds of clients, including government agencies, development enterprises, construction groups, financial institutions, real estate REITs, etc. Legal services of Guantao team not only contain traditional real estate development projects, such as land development (land first-level development, land use right transfer and land comprehensive development), M&A and restructuring of real estate projects, construction projects management (contracting and subcontracting, design and performance of construction contracts, final acceptance of construction projects, settlement of construction payment, etc.), sale and leasing of commercial properties, property management and operation (services to property leasing and property companies), guarantees and mortgages, but also expand into rising fields of infrastructure PPP projects, tourism real estate, collective industry land and city complex, real estate financing, foreign investment, etc.

Guantao provides perennial, special and litigation legal services to domestic and overseas clients including but not limited to Beijing Financial Street Investment Group Co., Ltd., Villagers' Committee of Baipenyao Village Hua Town Fengtai District, Beijing Baipenyao Tianxing Investment Management Corporation, Beijing Decheng Xingye Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Beijing Decheng Zhidi Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Hutchison Whampoa Limited, CK Hutchison Holdings Limited, Beijing NJSTAR Investment Management Company, Management Committee of Rising High and New Technology Industry Development Area, Wenzhou Financial Assets Exchange Center Co., Ltd., Tahoe Real Estate Group Company Ltd., Tianjin Beijing-Tianjin Expressway Co., Ltd., HSBC, Tishman Speyer, Singapore WBL Group, China Development Bank, Beijing Huarong Infrastructure Investment Co., Ltd., etc.

Guantao Real Estate Department, led by Meng Lei, represented Beijing NJSTAR Investment Management Company to negotiate with AEON Mall, which is the largest shopping mall in Fengtai District invested by Beijing NJSTAR Investment Management Company. Involved parties have major disputes over construction and leasing matters. After repeated negotiations lasted for over two years, both parties finally made the cooperation agreement in amount of RMB1.74B.

Based on traditional real estate development projects, Guantao team possesses deep bench of professionals in the fields of real estate financing, collective industry land and city complex, as well as tourism property recently.

Adhering to the client-centric philosophy and advocating the spirit of teamwork, Guantao has been deeply involved in the field of dispute resolution, including litigation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for decades, and is particularly skilled in handling major and high profile cases.

Our lawyers across the world are well-versed in legal theory, diligent, service-oriented and dedicated to pursuing excellence. In recent years, we handle more than 30 cases per working day on average. We have a deep understanding of client needs as well as the insight into legal trends, clear case strategies, and proficient litigation skills. We are confident that our experience as courtroom advocates on both sides for plaintiffs and defendants can bring to bear our unique insight into the client's new case. We know the strategies the other side employs, and we know their approaches to settlement. We possess comprehensive abilities to provide clients with efficient, high-quality, and in-depth legal services and we have achieved outstanding results before the Supreme Court, local courts, and domestic and international arbitration institutions. In all, Guantao delivers technical excellence and helps domestic and foreign clients gain a strong competitive advantage in an increasingly complex legal environment.

With the support of our headquarters in Beijing, offices in Hong Kong, and overseas offices in Sydney, New York, and Toronto, as well as the Joint Operation Office (JOO) established in collaboration with Ashurst, Guantao provides comprehensive assistance to clients in addressing the growing global cross-border disputes. We help clients successfully enforce judgments and arbitration awards from China mainland courts in Hong Kong and overseas, as well as assist overseas clients in effectively managing disputes in mainland China. Also, we have represented clients in the first-ever pre-arbitration consultation procedure involving a foreign investor as the applicant against the Chinese government in an international investment arbitration case, as well as the first case involving the enforcement of seven PRC consent judgments issued by the people’s court in the United States.

Guantao has provided a full spectrum of dispute resolution services spanning all fields for large enterprises, companies, and government agencies, including but not limited to:

Civil and Commercial Disputes

Corporate Governance and Shareholder Litigation

Banking, Insurance, Funds, Structured Finance, and Derivatives Disputes

Securities Disputes, Class actions, and Investigations by the China Securities Regulatory Commission

Energy and Mining disputes

Construction Engineering and Real Estate Disputes

Life Sciences Disputes

Entertainment and Media-Related Disputes

Data Property Rights and Infringement Disputes

Bankruptcy-Related Litigation

Antitrust Litigation (Civil and Administrative)

Anti-Unfair Competition and Intellectual Property Disputes

International Arbitration

Maritime Disputes

Administrative Litigation

Labor Dispute Resolution

Criminal Compliance and Criminal Defense

Guantao has been consistently recognized and recommended in the field of dispute resolution by global renowned legal rating organizations such as Chambers Asia-Pacific and the Legal 500 Asia Pacific for consecutive years. Several Guantao lawyers have been selected by Asian Legal Business (ALB), and our comprehensive business capabilities have garnered widespread recognition.

"Based in Beijing, the partners at Guantao are greatly respected for the collective depth of their dispute resolution practice."

—— Chambers

"Guantao team can always deliver effective and practicable solutions to their client's on-going litigation as well as provide risk prevention advice, showing their strong legal skills."

—— Clients say

Guantao has established a Dispute Resolution Group to enhance communication and exchange within the firm and actively nurture young lawyers. PKU, THU, RUC, and CUPL have all designated Guantao as a legal base for the internship.

Intellectual property has been a long-time core practice and research area for Guantao, and it has successfully represented clients on a number of cases in matters including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, proprietary technology, integrated circuit, computer software, database protection, new plant type, the design and implementation of protection programs for the copy right / trade mark / franchise right, etc.

Also, Guantao has extensive experience in the filed of telecommunication and media, and provides legal services for companies' M&A, general telecommunication services, value-added telecommunication services, internet services, etc.

Guantao's services include but are not limited to:

• information search

• application and registration of IP rights (including computer software and service trademark)

• application for invalidation and revocation

• infringement investigation and litigation

• IP transfer and licensing

• importation and transfer of technology and IP rights licensing

• IP rights related to media, manufacturing and other industries

• design of IP protection strategies and management systems

• OEM, confidentiality and non-competition agreements

With extensive experiences in labor law, Guantao provides services on labor law for many large state-owned enterprises, private companies and foreign companies. For companies, the three most important assets are people, money and property. The importance of human resource cannot be overestimated. The legislature is updating and modifying labor laws and regulations, and employer-employee relations remains the focus. Therefore, having a full understanding of your obligations and rights on labor can help you reduce conflicts and better manage your company.

With legal knowledge and experiences, our labor lawyers and legal experts can provide services on management compliance, dispute settlement and coordination with strategic target.

Our services in labor law include, without limitation:

• Drafting and reviewing of labor contract and employment contract;

• Reviewing of employee manual, labor rule, code of conduct for employees, salary and benefit payment, paid vacation, disciplinary measures, performance appraisal, confidentiality, workplace safety and on-job training from the perspectives of compliance, reasonability and practicability;

• Legal services on employee relocation in reorganization and M&A;

• Legal services on layoff;

• Legal services on employee relocation and economic compensation in bankruptcy;

• Set up of enterprise labor union and Staff and Workers' Representative Congress;

• Participation in collective bargaining between enterprise and union, and drafting of collective contract;

• Training on labor contract law;

• Representing enterprise in labor dispute arbitration and litigation.

In the field of Restructuring/Insolvency, Guantao has outstanding performance and has been ranked among the top law firms in China in terms of overall strength and has gained a good reputation in the industry. Therefore, Guantao has been ranked and recommended by Chambers, The Legal 500, IFLR 1000, Asialaw Profiles, ALB and other globally renowned legal rating agencies for many years.

One of the First Leading Law Firms to Enter the Chinese Insolvency Industry, with a Strong Track Record of Success across China

Guantao was one of the first law firms in China to engage in corporate liquidation or restructuring.  Since 2002, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has been focusing on the rectification of illegal securities companies, and Guantao was entrusted by the CSRC to participate in the risk disposal of the first securities company, Dalian Securities Co., Ltd.

Subsequently, Guantao has participated in the winding up, closure and liquidation as well as insolvency liquidation and restructuring of nearly ten securities companies, which have been highly evaluated by the CSRC and relevant courts. Taking this as an opportunity, with the advantages of corporate management and rich experience accumulated from participating in the risk disposal of securities companies, Guantao has focused on building an insolvency practice team, deeply integrating market and professional resources, strengthening theoretical and practical research, and continuously transforming results in specific cases.

At present, Guantao has established a special practice line for  Insolvency Liquidation and Restructuring with more than 100 lawyers, and has formed a set of organizational structure, rules and regulations, workflow, practice guidelines, document patterns and practice collections for handling insolvency cases, realizing standardization and proceduralization in handling insolvency cases.

As an insolvency administrator, Guantao has undertaken insolvency liquidation and reorganization cases and compulsory liquidation cases for nearly 1000 companies, including non-bank financial institutions, and has handled a large number of insolvency cases involving  creditors and reorganization investors, as well as insolvency derivative litigation cases.

Guantao’s head office and some of its branches have become insolvency administrators of the local courts, including but not limited to the Beijing High People’s Court, the Shaanxi High People’s Court, the Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court, the Shanghai High People’s Court, the Xiamen Intermediate People’s Court, the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court, the Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, the Ji’nan Intermediate People’s Court, the Henan High People’s Court, the Chongqing High People’s Court, the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court, the Hainan High People’s Court , and the Fuzhou Intermediate People’s Court.

In addition, Guantao has set up a research and practice base for insolvency law. Through cooperation with universities, Guantao has received theoretical support from top law schools, experts, and scholars in China.