About this office:
King & Wood, a leading full-service law firm in the People's Republic of China, was founded in 1993 with our Beijing office serving as the headquarters for the firm's sixteen locations. We are one of the leading law firms in China, with extensive experience encompassing all major facets of domestic and cross-border practice.
Today, King & Wood, headquartered in Beijing with offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Suzhou, Qingdao, Ji'nan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Silicon Valley and New York, is one of the largest law firms in China. With over 800 lawyers, patent attorneys, and legal professionals, we provide comprehensive legal services to meet the diverse needs of our clients worldwide.
King & Wood's Beijing office provides our clients with premium legal advice and representation. Our practice areas, managed by recognized pioneers in their fields, are organized in a manner that maximizes efficiency and emphasizes collaboration. Efforts of individual departments are bolstered by lawyers in each of our practices, enabling our clients to benefit from the integration and experience of the firm as a whole. The unique composition of our firm provides effective solutions across the boundaries of traditional practice areas.
Main International Areas of Focus
Antitrust & Competition: King & Wood's antitrust and competition practice is recognized across China and throughout the world as the country's leader and innovator. We have the ability to draw on lawyers across multiple disciplines, and expert economists, to meet the distinctive requirements of each client and our understanding of the legal landscape will ensure effective compliance and smooth operation regarding this evolving and complex area of law.
Banking & Finance: King & Wood is experienced in domestic and international financing such as trade financing, derivatives, bilateral financing, syndicated loan facilities, receivables financing and debt restructuring. It has extensive experience in project finance, acting on behalf of lenders, export credit agencies, international financial organizations, project sponsors, project companies, contractors and suppliers involved in various infrastructure finance projects in China. King & Wood is also a leader in aircraft finance and aviation equipment leasing and financing in China.
Corporate Governance & Compliance: King & Wood has assisted multi-national companies with investments in China and every type of domestic enterprise in reviewing, developing and assisting with the implementation of ethics and compliance programs in conformity with Chinese laws, regulations, rules and policies, to prevent and detect violations of the law. The Firm's compliance attorneys aim to ensure that clients have in place comprehensive programs to guide them and their employees in conducting business ethically and in compliance with their legal and regulatory obligations.
Energy, Mining & Resources: King & Wood has been publicly recognized as one of the top PRC firms by size and prominence, and has represented domestic and foreign clients in a number of energy and mining projects inside and outside of China, covering oil, natural gas, coal bed methane, electric power (including nuclear power), coal, new energy, renewable energy, copper ore, nickel ore, uranium ore, lead-zinc ore and other areas. Our lawyers have a wealth of experience in energy and mining areas and have not only practiced relevant legal services, but also have extensive business experience in these areas, enabling us to provide clients with practical business-orientated solutions.
Environmental Law & New Energy: Our environmental practice is integrated with other practices such as mergers & acquisitions, financing, and securities offerings. Where clients seek to invest in new or established clean energy technologies (including both renewable energy and clean fossil fuels) and natural resource development projects, our strong track record in aiding both international and domestic clients in investments in China, coupled with our financing, merger & acquisitions and environmental expertise, ensures the smoothest possible transactions and optimum investment, financing, or other transaction structures, with environmental issues taken into full consideration.
Foreign Investment: King & Wood has extensive experience in foreign direct investments in China. Some of the lawyers working in this group have represented foreign investors since the early 1980's. This practice focuses on foreign direct investments, holding companies, corporate finance, joint ventures, corporate governance and corresponding legal matters.
Intellectual Property: King & Wood's intellectual property practice maintains an established team of Chinese patent and trademark attorneys offering clients a wealth of experience in dealing with intellectual property matters. The firm represents clients in all aspects of intellectual property and related technology including patents, trademarks, copyrights, unfair competition, licensing, trade secrets.
International Trade: King & Wood has been providing legal services in international trade law since 1997 when it represented clients responding to the first anti-dumping investigation in China. The firm has accumulated extensive experience with respect to trade remedy cases, WTO dispute settlement proceedings, trade negotiations, customs measures, and import/export business matters.
Labor & Employment: Our labor and employment practice lawyers are experts in all aspects of the current regulatory environment. We ensure that our clients' labor strategies conform to their overall strategic goals by ensuring both current and future regulatory compliance and strong, culturally aware internal labor management policies.
Litigation & Arbitration: The firm's approach emphasizes the resolution of disputes though objective advice and effective representation at trial or arbitration hearings and throughout the appellate process. The firm has represented numerous leading corporations and financial institutions in many landmark litigation and administrative proceedings before courts and administrative agencies throughout China.
Mergers & Acquisitions: King & Wood's mergers and acquisitions practice concentrates on providing legal advice, negotiations, and the preparation of legal documentation for the acquisition and disposition of businesses and assets in which the firm's investment, securities, tax and accounting expertise are brought to bear for its clients. The firm represents acquirers, target companies, financial advisors and major stockholders in a wide variety of industries and in all types of takeover transactions.
Real Estate & Infrastructure: Our extensive network of offices staffed by highly experienced lawyers are positioned to offer our clients detailed advice on local regulatory conditions and markets. We are experienced in dealing with all aspects of property development and construction, management, finance, litigation, leasing and tax.
Securities Transactions: King & Wood is one of the first law firms approved by China's Ministry of Justice and the China Securities Regulatory Commission to provide legal services for securities transactions. Over the years, King & Wood has participated in many milestone IPO transactions for large stated-owned enterprises in several important industries (such as chemical, mining, oil, insurance, banking, etc). King & Wood is widely recognized as one of the leading Chinese law firms in capital markets.
Tax: Our tax practice provides tax advice in the proper Chinese legal context. This is particularly important where foreign investment and foreign exchange regulatory considerations can significantly impact tax planning and structuring options. China is no longer a tax paradise for foreign investors as many incentives have been eliminated and the VAT refund rate has decreased. Every transaction has tax consequences and may become profitable or unprofitable based solely on such implications. China is now a relatively high-tax jurisdiction, so proper tax planning is crucial to a company's ability to successfully operate in China.