A&Z Law Firm Brochure_2015

A COMPLETESERVICETO YOURINDIVIDUALSOLUTIONShanghai⎪Beijing⎪Dalian⎪Wuhan⎪Tokyo

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Editorial

02 ABOUT US

03 Our Name

04 What Make Us

Stand Out!

06 OUR CLIENTS

07 Awards

08 WHO IS BEHIND US

12 OUR PEOPLE

14 AREAS OF PRACTICE

15 Foreign Direct Investment

(FDI)

16 Intellectual Property Rights

17 M&A/Corporate Restructuring

18 Litigation, Arbitration and

Resolution Disputes

19 Corporate Governance

and Compliance

20 Labor and Employment/

Social Security

21 Finance

22 Customs/Imports and Exports/

Foreign Exchange

23 Taxation

24 Real State

Print

Editor / A&Z Communications TeamA&Z Team

Photograph quanjing.compixabay.comFang Zhigang

Art Direction / Graphic Design zhuyu@C4Comunnications

Contents

©A&Z Law Firm 2015. All Rights reserved. zlf.com.cn

2

About Us

A&Z Law Firm is a full-service law firm founded in 2004. Our firm is committed to the needs and circumstances of

our clients in both China and abroad. We are constantly evolving to fulfil the requirements of the global market in the 21st century.

At A&Z, we have extensive experience of providing high standards and effective services in all major areas of business law. A quick response with a reasonable cost.

Our main principle is the following: “We exist to respond to our clients’ needs”. We support our clients to achieve their goals and ambitions

through a deep market knowledge, broad legal expertise and mindful insights. The firm acts for permanent corporate entities such as publicly listed companies, SMEs, and private clients across a diverse range of industry sectors.

Our headquarters is located in central Shanghai. We have established representative offices in Beijing, Wuhan and Dalian. A&Z also have a representative office in Tokyo, ready to help you wherever your business takes you. A new office will soon be opened in Guangzhou with the aim of assisting all our clients across China and leveraging our capabilities.


Our NameChinese ConceptThe name of 里格, Lǐ gé, comes from the English word ‘League’, defined as a collection of people, countries, or groups that combine for mutual protection or cooperation. In its archaic form, ‘League’ also means an agreement or alliance. The character of 里, Lǐ, comes from the Analects of Confucius, one of the Five classics of Confucian literature. 里仁为美 (Lǐ rén wéi měi) means using a benevolent method to develop the qualities of a humane person, and to conduct yourself in a righteous manner.

The character, 格, gé, comes from the Classic of Rites (礼记, lǐjì), 格物致知 (géwù zhìzhī) is interpreted as the investigation of all practices and the expansion of knowledge by understanding ourselves, and trying to observe and discover

the principles of how things work with honesty. There is a direct connection between moral and empirical knowledge of the world.

English ConceptA&Z comes from the English idiom “A to Z”, which means from the very beginning to the very end; covering or regarding the entire possible range or scope, including all the facts about a subject.

A&Z believes that excellent legal knowledge is not itself enough to satisfy clients’ needs. It must be combined with outstanding experts from different industries creating a team. A cross-cultural and multidisciplinary team is the best way to provide high-quality and efficient services to all our customers.

2011: Establishment of

Wuhan office

2013: Establishment of

Dalian office

2015: Establishment of Tokyo

and Beijing offices2004: Creation of A&Z Law Firm

Milestones in Our History

4

What Makes Us Stand Out!

10 AREAS OF PRACTICE

5 LANGUAGES50 STAFF300FIRST-CLASS GLOBAL CLIENTS

IN BUSINESS LAW

7 SENIOR PARTNERS25 ATTORNEYS5 OFFICES


Our specialist team offers a comprehensive tailored service to cover all of your needs. With the purpose of maintaining our outstanding results, our professional team assesses, reviews and appraises clients’ needs on a regular basis to constantly improve.

Above all, the work we do for our clients and what we stand for is driven by our global business principles: trust, respect, integrity, professionalism, passion.

The distinctive features of our commitment across all cases are:1. Rapid and effective response: flexible services tailored to the individual;2. Services with international standards: high quality of services and consistent track record of success;3. Legal excellence: in-depth expertise;4. Close relationship with key governmental institutions: absolute discretion;5. Reasonable costs.

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Our Clients

We are devoted to delivering first class representation and aim to provide the highest international standards of legal

services to our clients across our practice. To leverage strong client relationships is always our priority.

For us, achieving this is not just a matter of technical capability; it is also about understanding the details of our clients’ requirements and core businesses in order to deliver the best quality and most effective services.

We represent a diverse pool of clients including multi-national corporations, publicly listed companies, SMEs, private clients, developers, and

other commercial real estate ventures.A&Z clients come from a varied range of

industries such as manufacturing (machinery, electronics, paper, clothing, etc.), trade and retail, information and high technology, advertising, logistics, banking, pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive, high technology, among others.

We understand the challenges of the global economy because we are at the forefront of its evolution. We share an uncompromising commitment to excellence combined with a teamwork culture that provides the best environment to deliver a service tailored to the requirements of global clients.


Awards

Advanced Team in Judicial Administrative System in Shanghai.

2014 by the Bureau of Justice

Model Organization in Jing’an.

2013-2014 by Jing’an District Bureau of Justice

Outstanding Law Firm of Jing’an

2012-2014 by Jing’an District Bureau of Justice

One of the 2009-2011 top 10 Law Firms in Shanghai

2009-2011 by the Bureau of Justice

Most Outstanding Law Firm of Shanghai

2012-2014 by the Bureau of Justice

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7 Senior Partners

The senior partners are committed to providing you with the most effective service in the most efficient manner. Each of our partners has many years of experience advising clients on business law. Several have worked as in-house attorneys, and therefore have a particular appreciation of the needs of our corporate clients.

Dr. Sophie An Managing PartnerCo-founder

Areas of expertise: foreign direct investment, customs, labour and employment, corporate governance and compliance.

While attending law school in Japan, she worked in various Japanese law firms and patent offices. She also earned work experience at Yi Shi Law Firm, Sinclair Roche & Temperley and Tian Lun Law Firm in Shanghai, until 2004, when she co-founded A&Z Law Firm. Sophie has experience in corporate governance and compliance; designing, establishing and supervising the implementation of grievance handling procedures and internal investigation mechanisms; and providing legal risk management training.

Sophie is a member of the All-China Bar Association and the Shanghai Political Consultative Committee (CPPCC), and she has been appointed as a Customs Special Controller by Shanghai Customs. She possesses a deep understanding of the development and application of Chinese law.

Sophie has been awarded numerous prestigious rewards such as “Top 30 Oriental Lawyers” by Shanghai Bar Association and “Top Ten Lawyers of Shanghai” by Wen Wei Po in 2007.

Who Is Behind Us


Vincent Zhu Founding PartnerMBA (Partner)Co-founder

Eric Zhang Founding PartnerMA (Partner)Co-founder

Areas of expertise: foreign direct investment, mergers and adquisitions, Investment, Litigation, Arbitration and Dispute Resolution.

Vincent started his legal career at Shanghai Yi Shi Law Firm in 1999 and later on at Tian Lun Law Firm. In 2004, he co-founded A&Z Law Firm. Vincent has represented and advised numerous corporates, both international and Chinese, for more than 16 years. He has acted as counsel to enterprises and international institutions on legal services in a variety of industries. He has also represented many of them in litigation and arbitration and been appointed as legal counsel. Vincent is a member of the All-China Bar Association.

Vincent was awarded the “Outstanding Lawyer 2012-2014” award by the Jing’an District Bureau of Justice of Shanghai.

Areas of expertise: intellectual property rights, foreign investment, and general corporate practices.

Eric initially worked at Yi Shi Law Firm and De Shang Law Firm in Shanghai. In 2004, he co-founded A&Z Law Firm. He has represented both multi-national firms and SMEs on a variety of corporate transactions. Eric has more than 15 years’ experience working with clients in China on IP rights, patents, and trademarks, among other matters. He became a member of the All-China Bar Association in 1999, and later became a member of the Intellectual Property Specialized Research Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association.

Eric has been awarded the “Outstanding Lawyer for Dispute Resolution 2009-2011” by the Jing’an District Bureau of Justice of Shanghai.

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Ricky Li BA (Partner)

Areas of expertise: FDI, corporate governance, M&A, foreign investment, and foreign exchange administration.

Ricky started to work at Tian Lun Law Firm in 2003, and joined A&Z the following year. He became a partner in 2012. Ricky has large experience in different areas of practices such as establishment of joint ventures, companies and other forms of domestic and foreign investments, as well as advice and negotiation of mergers and acquisitions, etc. He assists multinational corporations in a number of complex foreign investments projects and business transactions in China. He also counsels on import and export registration and licenses. Ricky is a member of the All-China Bar Association.

Peter Zeng BA (Partner)

Areas of expertise: human resources, labour and employment law, corporate compliance, foreign investment and related dispute resolutions.

Peter started his legal career in 2004 when joining A&Z, becoming a partner in 2011. With more than 10 years’ experience, he is an expert in labour and employment law; reduction in work force and employee transfer; corporate restructuring; social security and MKT Claim/AIC, and prevention and monitoring tools for mitigating compliance risks in China. He has represented clients in settlement, arbitration and litigation of labour disputes as well as assisting clients in dealing with emergencies and crises. Peter is a member of the All-China Bar Association.

Peter was awarded the "Outstanding Young Lawyer of Jing’an District, Shanghai 2009-2011".


Karen Yin MA (Partner)

Andrew Zhang MA (Partner)

Areas of expertise: intellectual property rights, environment law, industrial security law, general corporate work.

From 1986 to 1994, Karen worked at Shanghai Communications Administration, at several patent offices and Yoshioka Gyosei-Shoshi Office in Japan and law firms in China. In 2009, she joined A&Z, where she has represented domestic and multinational companies to secure and enforce their intellectual property rights, to handle legal proceedings relating to patents, trademarks, and trade secrets in a wide range of industries, and to manage infringement. Karen has also further experience in environmental law and new production safety law. She is a member of the All-China Bar Association.

Areas of expertise: customs, import & export, M&A, litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution.

Andrew worked first in Shanghai Jinghong International Logistics Co. In 2006, he practised at Angela Luo & Co., and in 2009 he joined A&Z. During his legal career, he has been committed to providing all types of corporate law services, particularly on import and export matters, international trade, and foreign exchange administration. Andrew has an impressive record in the acquisition of large logistics and telecoms companies. He has represented various multinational corporations in arbitration and litigation cases. Andrew is a member of the All-China Bar Association.

12

Our People

A&Z is complemented by a team of experts currently consisting attorneys, legal practitioners, and business analysts. Together, we form a strong, powerful team that cautiously, innovatively and determinedly pursues your interests.


A&Z’s lawyers obtained their diplomas from prestigious Chinese and international universities. Many of our

senior partners and lawyers have worked at major international law firms in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan.

Our lawyers are upright professionals, giving our clients insights into the local business environment alongside A&Z expertise in multiple jurisdictions.

A&Z cultivates the commercial pragmatism, as well as culture, technical and interpersonal skills required for delivering world-class solutions to the requirements of multinational clients. We provide unique professional development opportunities.

Our clients have high expectations of us. To meet these expectations, we recruit the best and hardest-working people and develop them to perform to the highest level. At the same time, our staff undertake regular training courses to keep abreast of China’s regulation, market and finance changes.

A&Z also offers scholarships and prizes to the leading law schools in Shanghai, bringing and enriching a unique opportunity to improve young distinguished students’ professional skills. These programs provide an excellent pool of the best students and offer them the opportunity to become part of A&Z.

Our training and mentoring programs provide our lawyers with good development opportunities and strengthen their professional – and personal – competencies.

14

Areas of Practice

A&Z has four strong research teams divided into the following areas:

Over the years, we have developed and maintained good relationships with various government departments,

legal research institutions, and enterprises enabling us to understand the development and implementation of Chinese law. These resources bring us the opportunity to talk with the key stakeholders, and therefore, to be more effective in solving our clients’ legal and business needs.

Our expertise on FDI, M&A, finance, capital markets, labour and employment, compliance, intellectual property rights, anti-trust, dispute resolution, taxation and real estate, conveys tranquility to our clients as it ensures that their preferences will be met in a cost-efficient method within a single law firm.

This method of work is at the core of the firm’s principles to build trusted relationships with its international clients and partners.

➊ FDI; M&A; and finance

➋ Labour and employment; taxation; and real estate

➌ IP/patents/trademarks; customs / imports and exports

➍ Corporate compliance; litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution

From understan

ding

to ha

ndling From the f rst step to the last detail

From listening

to re

so

lvingFrom researching to representing


A&Z offers a complete package of services for businesses that wish to form and/or run a company registered in China. Our firm has over the years successfully advised a significant number of both multinationals and domestic companies investing in China and receiving investments from their foreign peers.

Foreign direct investment requires an integrated solution; from the first step – initial planning and due diligence – through to the conclusion of the investment process. At A&Z, we have worked on many high profile projects in a wide range of industries.

We assist our clients with the following services:• Determining the initial investment planning and

due diligence;• Designing the most effective investment

structures;

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)

• Evaluating potential business partners and locations on target companies or assets;

• Applying and fill out all documents and feasibility study reports;

• Drafting, negotiating and reviewing company creation and transactional documents for joint ventures, wholly-foreign owned enterprises or other forms of corporate entities for foreign investment;

• Completing the procedure for government approval and registration of the company;

• Applying for operation licenses according to industry requirements;

• Monitoring on-going legal compliance advice in areas including corporate governance, customs, tax and labour;

• Assisting in restructuring, dissolution and liquidation of our clients’ business in order to safeguard against possible pitfalls.

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A&Z represents our clients in order to secure and enforce their Intellectual Property (IP) rights. We have substantial experience in advising both foreign and Chinese companies on administrative matters and legal procedures involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and unfair competition in a wide range of industries.

We have previously advised our clients in a full range of areas, such as:• Strategy design for intellectual property rights

protection and risk management measures;• Technology contract questions;

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Intellectual Property Rights

• Trademark and patent information retrieval and application;

• Copyright registration;• Protection of trade secrets and other unfair

competition matters;• Transfer and license of intellectual property

rights, in addition to all legal documents required;

• Intellectual property rights administrative scrutiny and protection;

• Intellectual property rights infringement investigation and perpetuation of evidence;

• Dispute resolution relating to intellectual property rights.

02


With China’s economy integrating into the world economy, merger and acquisition transactions have become an effective tool to gain strategic presence in the evolving market. Currently, large and innovative transactions take the form of mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures and restructuring.

In other words, M&A is an important tool for business transfers, increasing the value of companies through synergies in order to streamline and increase productivity, and to bolster a business unit by acquiring a growing company.

A&Z advises clients on their strategic and challenging transactions, particularly in the Chinese market. We will first ensure that we understand your motives for entering into the transaction and the scale of it. We then counsel you on legal matters and identify the requisite deal structures in a cost-efficient way within a single law firm.

M&A/ Corporate Restructuring

We provide professional services in the following areas: • Advising and negotiating mergers and

acquisitions by and between international and domestic companies;

• Conducting legal due diligence investigations;• Designing and optimizing transaction structures

and providing legal and feasibility advice;• Negotiating, drafting and reviewing equity and

asset acquisition, merger, spin-off and related agreements and other legal documents;

• Designing labour and tax strategies, and providing solutions to labour and tax problems encountered in mergers and acquisitions;

• Carrying out administrative filings, approvals, registrations and related procedures of government bodies, and assisting in coordination and communication with relevant government authorities.

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A&Z is mindful of the serious impact disputes have on our clients’ businesses, and we therefore strive to achieve our clients’ requirements in this burdensome matter. We fully understand that reputation matters in business, therefore we strive to protect your reputation from any possible damage.

A&Z possesses great experience in arbitration, mediation and dispute resolution, as well as other Alternative Dispute Resolution methods (ADR).

Our group of experienced lawyers provides the most suitable solution for every client’s needs. We provide high quality, zealous representation for all clients from the initial consultation through all stages of trial practice and appeal, to resolve disputes with an emphasis on personal and professional integrity.

A&Z provides an amalgam of litigation and alternative dispute resolution services, which include, but are not limited to:• Collecting evidences and conducting

investigations;• Comparing before litigation and assessing

preservation actions; • Formulating constructive and practical dispute

avoidance schemes;• Advising on arbitration and litigation strategies; • Dealing with bankruptcy and corporate

restructuring;• Representing clients throughout the litigation

and arbitration process;• Handling administrative disputes regarding

tax, customs, industry and commerce, quality inspection, punishment and other related disputes;

• Representation in court.

Litigation, Arbitration and Resolution Disputes04


With a deep understanding of investors and proprietors’ preferences about corporate governance to conduct business in strict compliance with laws and regulations, A&Z provides full-scale legal services to reduce transaction risks, as well as liability of clients, investors and proprietors. In doing so, we tap into the wealth of experience of our lawyers across the practice areas of our firm.

In addition, A&Z is also aware that to strictly comply with rapidly changing Chinese laws and regulations, a series of factors need to be taken into consideration. Among those factors are commercial codes of conduct, organizational structure and industrial characteristics, social environments, and local countries’ specific characteristics, among others. The above factors, in certain circumstances, may conflict with each other, generating more complexity and uncertainty regarding corporate governance.

We help our clients to implement their compliance rules, to promote their business

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operations in accordance with Chinese and international laws, and to maintain adequate standards by monitoring possible conflicts.

We regularly advise boards and board committees, executive officers and other members of management, and shareholders regarding:• Risk management for commercial transactions;• The design and improvement of the corporate

management structure;• Composition and procedures for shareholder

meetings, boards of directors and committees;• Operational guidelines for corporate

management, codes of conduct and any other internal rules and regulations;

• The implementation of grievance procedures and internal investigation mechanisms;

• Risk management training;• Legal scrutiny service to ensure that clients’

business is conducted in accordance with the law and standards.

Corporate Governance and Compliance05

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Employment and labour disputes have become one of the major concerns for any company. We have a strong team focusing on all types of employment matters.

At A&Z, we assist our clients in establishing labour management systems and effectively handling human resources issues to minimize and avoid potential labour disputes. We respond to the needs of publicly and privately held businesses ranging from the largest companies to the smallest start-ups, maintaining the level of quality at every point of contact.

The main services provided cover:• Employee transfer, lay-offs and displacements

in corporate acquisitions, liquidations and restructuring proceedings;

• Contract and agreement drafting or reviewing: labour contracts, service agreements, labour dispatch contracts, confidentiality agreements, training agreements, etc.;

• Labour protection, social insurance, work-related injuries and occupational diseases;

• Employee manuals and company rules and regulations;

• Collective labour contracts and labour union;• Labour law compliance;• Litigation and arbitration relating to labour and

employment questions.

Labour and Employment/ Social Security06

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The financial services industry has never been more complex. Markets and products evolve daily against a continually developing regulatory backdrop.

A&Z has a substantial financial service practice with long experience of advising both domestic and foreign financial institutions with legal services. We have established long-term and stable cooperation with a number of foreign-invested banks, institutions and organizations to provide our clients with a full range of legal services to meet their financial demands.

Finance

We carry out enquires relating to:• General banking business;• Project finance;• Import and export credit facilities;• Real estate finance;• Syndicated loans;• Debt and equity restructuring.

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International trade consists of exchanging capital, goods, and services across international borders. However, business standards, requirements and regulatory provisions may differ from one country to another.

Import and export goods and services are an important aspect of China’s open-economy policy. International trade related to the Chinese market involves the Customs Administration, the Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, the Foreign Exchange Administration and other government bodies. Customs clearance agencies, logistics and transportation companies, and financial institutions are all elements of the complex legal matters that our clients have to deal with.

To this end, we carry out investigation reports and provide professional legal advice. Our team has significant experience helping both foreign and domestic companies to comply with Chinese regulations. In addition, we have also developed and maintained good relationships with government departments and enterprises enabling us to communicate and discuss with the

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key stakeholders to address our clients’ needs effectively.

We assist you to take a more proactive role by ensuring your products are in full compliance with Chinese laws, regulations and standards.

Our services include, but are not limited to, the following:• Customs commodity classification;• Customs control over goods, and import and

export licences;• Contracts for international trade;• Dispute resolution concerning import and

export transactions;• Toll manufacturing;• Free trade zone policies;• Import and export commodity inspection;• Tax issues for import and export transactions;• Export tariff rebate policies;• Administrative penalties from customs;• Customs protection of intellectual property

rights;• Payment and settlement of foreign exchange.

Customs/Imports and Exports/ Foreign Exchange08


With the relevant corporate taxation regulations and the repeal of many favourable provisions for taxpayers in an ever-changing state of flux, we aim to keep up-to-date with amendments in order to ensure that the advice we give is reliable and current.

A&Z cooperates with some prominent accounting firms to provide professional tax counseling.

We advise clients both on pre-investment and post-investment tax issues. We provide assistance in the following topics:• Advising on understanding and implementing

preferential tax policies;• Guiding on Chinese tax implications and

financial risks of foreign direct investments, and mergers and acquisitions;

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• Counseling on Chinese customs duty, value added tax, business tax, enterprise income tax, among other tax issues;

• Providing individual investors, proprietors and senior managers with personal income tax counseling;

• Advising on bilateral tax treaties and Chinese tax law issues involved in import and export trading, and cross-border transactions.

Taxation09

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Use of land and ownership is an integral part of everyone’s personal and business life. Real estate transactions may be as simple as a transfer deed or they might be complex business deals.

At A&Z, we have substantial hands-on experience in a large number of real estate development, construction and investment projects, both in China and overseas. Consequently, we can bring you the collective knowledge of a group of lawyers who have experience of the full spectrum of real estate transactions for our clients.

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Our core specialities include:• Dealing with assignment and transfer of land-

use rights;• Advising on bidding and preparation of legal

documents relating to supervision, design, procurement, construction, inspection and project management;

• Advising on property sale, lease and management.

Real Estate10


SHANGHAI (HQ) Okura Garden Hotel6th floor South Maoming Road 58 Shanghai, P.R.China 200020Tel: +86-21 5466 5477 Fax: +86-21 5466 5977

TOKYOShinkokusai building, 7th Floor 3-4-1 Marunouchi, Chiyodaku, TokyoTel: +81-3 6269 9307

WUHAN Ping An Building Nº21 Nº6 Room, Zhongshan Avenue 888, Nº888, Wuhan, P.R.China 430015Tel: +86-27 8342 6645

DALIAN Sen Mao Tower, Room 2104Zhongshan Road 147 Dalian, P.R.China 116011Tel: +86-411 8367 1783

BEIJING DRC Office BuildingTower E, Room 1710Donfang Dong Road 19 Beijing, P.R.China Tel: +86-10 8531 7348

A COMPLETESERVICETO YOURINDIVIDUALSOLUTION

A&Z Law Firm Brochure_2015

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