Sheppard Mullin

For the latest news and discussion of developments in China law and business, view our most recent China Outbound Newsletter.

Sheppard Mullin has two full-service offices in Shanghai and Beijing, and we are well positioned to serve our clients' interests in this part of the world. Our offices handle international matters involving not only China but also Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and other markets in the region.

The attorneys and legal consultants in our China offices have legal expertise in the corporate and securities, finance, commercial, trade, intellectual property and disputes fields. The offices are fully integrated into the Firm’s established practice groups, thus allowing for seamless service across borders and time zones.

Foreign Direct Investment

We represent a host of international clients on their inbound and outbound transactions, with a focus on optimal deal structure and avoiding regulatory and other local challenges. Our lawyers and legal consultants are experienced in advising U.S. and multinational companies entering China as well as other markets in the region. We handle joint venture, strategic alliance, distribution, licensing, real estate, employment, and merger and acquisition matters in the region.

Emerging Companies and Venture Capital

Sheppard Mullin represents emerging and high-growth companies, and our China offices are a key part of that practice. Our practitioners advise on the formation of new companies in various industries, and we have worked with a range of clients including entrepreneurs, veteran managers, venture capitalists, strategic investors, and U.S. and international companies. In addition, we represent fund companies and other financial entities establishing China-focused investment vehicles.

International and CIETAC Dispute Resolution

Our offices have deep experience in international arbitration and other dispute resolution mechanisms. Our team represents companies and state entities in disputes before the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Centre for Dispute Resolution, CIETAC, and other institutions. We have particular expertise advising clients on how to structure dispute resolution procedures and clauses in cross-border transactions, and on enforcing arbitral awards. We also have expertise in coordinating and managing litigation on behalf of clients in the courts of China through outside local counsel.

Intellectual Property

Our China offices have expertise in the laws governing patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, false advertising, and other matters involving intellectual property and the optimal structuring of transactions and negotiations involving such assets. The offices are focused on the enforcement of intellectual property rights through the administrative, civil, and criminal systems. Our lawyers and legal consultants have expertise in the proactive internet protection of intellectual property, the identification and location of infringement and infringers, and the enforcement of our clients’ rights through take-downs and litigation. We have been involved in countless transactions in which the protection of technology or other intellectual property was a core issue. We have relationships with local intellectual property firms and thus, can facilitate filings in China.

Insolvency and Financial Restructuring

Distressed assets and business restructuring are a critical component of our practice. We have the resources to respond to the time-sensitivity of financial crises and provide whatever assistance is required. We regularly draw on resources from across the Firm to solve the multi-disciplinary problems posed by complex insolvencies and business restructuring endeavors. Our clients include secured lenders, debtors, bank groups, creditors’ committees, equity holders, and others. We are especially strong in complex cross-border restructuring and insolvency matters.

Antitrust

The Firm has a premier antitrust and competition practice, and our Shanghai and Beijing lawyers and legal consultants are intimately familiar with China’s Anti-Monopoly Law. We advise companies on the unique competitive issues involved in conducting business across borders, and we regularly counsel clients on issues such as price fixing, market allocation, dealer price cutting, price discrimination, tying, and the unique challenges posed by regulated industries.

Global Trade

Our offices assist clients with their international trade issues such as import/export restrictions, trade barriers, and customs duties. Our lawyers and legal consultants are experienced with the requirements, procedures, and sanctions of the various authorities responsible for regulating international trade, particularly the State Administrative of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”). We have experience with both existing and evolving platforms for international trade regulations and dispute resolution, including the use of arbitration under bilateral investment treatises and other international agreements.

"As Sheppard Mullin continues to grow, it is important that we not lose sight of the need to recruit women, attorneys of color and others of diverse backgrounds."
-Guy Halgren, Chairman of the Executive Committee

At Sheppard Mullin, we make every effort to recruit the finest lawyers and nurture their talents. The firm recognizes the importance of diversity and the need to create a workplace of inclusion. We need ¿ and our clients demand ¿ a team of attorneys that is as diverse as our increasingly global client base. Achieving and maintaining diversity is key to great client service ¿ a core value of our firm. What distinguishes good intentions from results is a commitment by senior management to find the best attorneys possible coupled with the sincere belief that people with diverse backgrounds bring valuable attributes to the firm. At Sheppard Mullin, the Executive Committee, Diversity Committee, and the lawyers in each of our offices work hard to ensure that all attorneys who join our firm fit in seamlessly and are encouraged to succeed.

Members of our Diversity Committee include ethnically diverse attorneys and a representative from the firm's Executive Committee. Diversity Committee members have served on the Boards of the Anti-Defamation League, the Black Women Lawyers Foundation (Los Angeles), and the Charles Houston Bar Association (northern California). Women and minority attorneys participate on key committees of the Firm (Executive Committee; Compensation Committee; Diversity Committee; Recruiting Committee; Professional Personnel Committee; Associate Issues Committee). Four of the Firm's nine Office Administrative Partners are women, one of whom is African-American and another is multi-racial.

"Serving on the firm's Diversity Committee is one of the most important things I do. I firmly believe that we must be vigilant in our efforts to recruit talented women attorneys and attorneys of color. Our success in this area has a positive effect our firm's culture, practice and client relationships."
-Joan Story, Member Executive Committee and Diversity Committee

Below is a description of just some of our outreach efforts.

• The firm participates in and financially supports the California Minority Counsel Program and the ABA Minority Counsel Program, as well as several minority bar associations. These groups are dedicated to increasing access for and promoting and retaining minorities in the legal profession.
• The firm actively recruits law students of color, e.g., we participated in the National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) of the Western Region job fair held at UCLA School of Law.
• Sheppard Mullin contributes to the Minority Corporate Counsel Association; California Women Lawyers; Queen's Bench; Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles; and the National Black Law Students Association, among others.
• We actively participate with other major Los Angeles law firms in the Diversity Directors Roundtable, a group that is committed to promoting diversity in the legal profession and in our firms.
• The firm received the Law Firm Award from the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Foundation for its strong commitment to the promotion of community and pro bono activities.
• Multicultural Law magazine named Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP as one of "The 2011 Top 100 Law Firms for Diversity."
• Sheppard Mullin helped underwrite the production of a motion picture project entitled "Soul of Justice: The Life and Times of Thelton Henderson." The film chronicles the life of respected African-American jurist Thelton Henderson, a crusading civil rights litigator and role model.
• The firm signed the Bar Association of San Francisco's "No Glass Ceiling Initiative," BASF's "Minority Goals and Timetables," the New York County Lawyers' Association Diversity Statement, and the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Diversity Statement.

Much of our pro bono work relates to the diversity of the communities in which we practice; sample clients include:

• Constitutional Rights Foundation
• Domestic Violence Project, Los Angeles Bar Association
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
• Task Force for the Women's Resource Fair, City of San Diego
• Tolerance Through Education Program, Beverly Hills Barristers Associations
• Violence Against Women Act Program, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Awareness of diversity enables us to understand the value of differences. At Sheppard Mullin, we are committed to hiring top tier attorneys, without regard to race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation.