Shanghai International Economic and Trade Law Office / GUOMAO LAW FIRM

OUR HISTORY

　　As one of prestigious and first-generation law firms established by riding on the wave of China government’s ‘Open Door’ and ‘Economic Reform’ policies, Shanghai International Economic & Trade Law Office (“SIETLO”) traces its origins to 1982, when, under the name of Legal Counselor Office of China Council for The Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), Shanghai Subcommittee. In 1984 the office was transferred to an independent law firm under the name of SIETLO. Since then SIETLO has grown to a true and full service international practice firm with strong presences in both Shanghai, China and New York City, the United States, particularly with the strong emphasis on intellectual property practice.
　　SIETLO, as a pioneer among China’s law firms involving international practice, made the records of being the first China’s law firm representing clients in the following areas:
Formerly the Shanghai Office of CCPIT Patent Agency, the firm was the earliest IP firm to handle trademark and patent prosecutions.
Issuing China’s company bond in foreign country
Seizing and foreclosing foreign vessel in China
Insolvency and liquidation of foreign-owned company in China
Enforcement of the arbitral award by Hong Kong arbitration institution in Mainland China;
Trial of the first foreign L/C fraud case involving amount over US$ 10 millions in China;
Proceeding before leading international arbitral bodies;
Trial of anti-dumping case in the United States.
　　Being one of well-established law firms in Shanghai licensed to provide comprehensive legal services to foreign investors and public listing corporations, SIETLO acts as principal outside counsel to, or provides significant legal representation for, most public listing companies in Shanghai and more than a dozen of the Fortune 500 companies, as well as to a wide variety of other entities, including privately held companies, stated-owned entities, financial institutions, investment firms, non-profit organizations and government agencies. Over the years, SIETLO has had the fortune of developing an impressive list of representative clients as follows:

OUR QUALITY FOCUS
 

　　SIETLO is one of the oldest international IP firms in China. Its predecessor was CCPIT Patent Agency, Shanghai Office. It has wide connections with IP firms in the world, and has served numerous leading multinational corporations in rendering trademark and patent service for them. In addition to the international practice,SIETLO handled about one third of famous and well-known marks in Shanghai. According to the 2010 official trademark agency's statistics, SIETLO (aka FORTUNE IP) has been one of the top 10 filers for trademark applications in Shanghai.
　　SIETLO is distinguished not only by the depth and scope of its legal advisory services, but also by unmatched experience in the international arena, particularly in providing legal advisory services to foreign investors in China. The firm’s lawyers have decades of experience in IP practice,transnational business development and international transactions. As a result, we are known for unusual effectiveness in assisting clients to accomplish their objectives.
　　At SIETLO, our commitment to client service and our clients’ satisfaction are what to tie us together. We have entered an era in which preferred services is defined in terms that go beyond price and efficiency. Our foreign clients are increasingly looking for demonstrated legal skill that are accomplished by thorough knowledge and understanding of their culture, legal systems, businesses, industries, and related academic, technical, and commercial disciplines. Our objective is to develop an unparalleled sensitivity to our clients’ objectives and a through understanding of the economic issues and clients’ concerns implicated by the problems, transactions, and controversies brought to our attention. We believe that such an awareness contributes to more creative solutions to our clients’ problems and, when applied to project planning, provides a measurable value-added dimension to our services.

OUR TEAM

　　SIETLO is an integrated partnership that operates as one firm cross the Pacific Ocean. The firm is consisted of six divisions --- Intellectual Property, Corporate, Finance, Real Estate, International Trade and New York Office. The six divisions are supplemented by multidisciplinary terms as well as by specialized industry practice.
　　Most of our team members are highly regarded in their fields. Eight current or former merbers of the firm  currently serve as members of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission or legal counsels to Shanghai government agencies. Five lawyers at SIETLO were admitted to practice law in both the United States and China. Most of our team members have solid science, technology, business, accounting, management, governmental and academic service backgrounds. In addition, the firm has an of-counsel network that provides substantial accesses to and expertise of government agencies and a variety of business and professional organizations.
　　This professional mix and depth enable us to bridge the cultural linguistic and legal system gaps which can stand in the way of success in international business, to serve the needs of foreign clients for on-the-spot China-related legal advice, to offer special advice in areas outside the traditional ambit of legal services, and to represent our clients’ interest while achieving successful resolution of difficult issues in an efficient manner.
 

OUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT

　　Relationships are critical in today’s business world. SIETLO maintains close professional relationship with regulatory branches in Chinese government as well as a variety of government agencies. Some of our lawyers are the members of legislation regulatory branches. SIETLO also serves as outside legal counsels to a number of government agencies. These relationships signify that we can make available to our clients the best possible assistance and the most reliable resources in the China’s complicated political and business environment. We understand how the political and business systems work. We enjoy being part of the system.

　　Understanding of national, provincial and local regulations and government decision-making processes and extensive experience in dealing with governmental authorities and commercial bodies make the firm a unique resource for foreign business and projects in China. We rely on the depth of experience and relationship to help our clients in archiving their business objectives in results-oriented manners.