The Lovells Shanghai team has years of experience conducting business in China and in addition, extensive knowledge of China's legal and regulatory environment. Our clients include both Chinese companies active in domestic and international markets, and international clients with interests in China.
Lovells Shanghai has significant experience in a wide range of practice areas and is particularly active in the following:
- Corporate and Commercial
- Intellectual property, media and technology
- Competition law/ Anti-Monopoly Law
- Dispute resolution/ Arbitration
- Projects (engineering and construction)
- Real estate
- Financial services
Corporate and Commercial
Led by Corporate partner, Andrew McGinty, our Shanghai Corporate and Commercial team has grown tremendously in reputation and size over the years. We have a diverse and experienced team of corporate lawyers and are particularly well-known in the industry to handle complex, multijurisdictional domestic and cross border transactions. We are also regularly involved in transactions including joint ventures and strategic alliances and group restructurings. We serve clients across a span of industry sectors, from chemicals, construction, real estate, infrastructure and hotels to highly regulated sectors such as financial services, media and banking. Chambers Global has commented that our China team is a “prime choice for cross-border transactions” and the recent Asia Pacific Legal 500 recognises members of our China corporate team as being “very strong all round corporate adviser(s)”.
Intellectual Property
Our intellectual property capabilities are ranked top tier in China. In 2008, our firm as a whole was ranked #1 in the world in the PLC Which Lawyer? Intellectual Property Super League. Lovells China was awarded China Foreign Firm of the Year at the Managing Intellectual Property Global Awards 2008 and has been ranked top tier in IP practice in China since 2002 by Asia Pacific Legal 500.
In 2007, Lovells officially established a domestic intellectual property agency under the name of Lovells (Shanghai) Intellectual Property Service Co. Ltd. The agency enables us to handle intellectual property matters in China directly on behalf of our clients. The establishment of the agency adds strongly to our existing IP practice in the region. It clearly demonstrates our commitment to the professional and legal development of China and strengthens our presence in the region.
Competition Law/ Anti-Monopoly Law
Lovells was one of the first international law firms to second a senior European qualified competition lawyer to China to lead the establishment of a competition law practice in China in the light of China's Anti-Monopoly Law ("AML"), which came into force in August 2008 and is closely modelled on EU competition law principles. Since then, our clients have benefited from having dedicated competition capability available in China, and we have assisted them in relation to a wide number of aspects of the AML including the notification of one of the first transactions to be notified to and cleared by MOFCOM under the merger review provisions of the AML. This builds on Lovells' leading position in the market for competition law advice internationally. In Europe, for example, Lovells won "Competition Team of the Year" at the Legal Business Awards in 2007. In Shanghai, our lawyers received recognition from Chambers Asia 2009 as leading competition lawyers in China.
Dispute Resolution/ Arbitration
Lovells Shanghai offers a wide range of litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution services. Our dispute resolution lawyers are experts in advising foreign clients on disputes arising from their business dealings in China as well as Chinese clients on the advantages and potential liabilities of litigation in foreign countries. We have represented both Asian and Western companies on various matters of litigation and arbitration, with particular focus on commercial disputes, international arbitration, FCPA compliance and product liability. In handling arbitration cases, our lawyers have extensive experience in litigation and specialist expertise in alternative dispute resolution procedures, including international arbitration under the CIETAC rules in China as well as ad hoc arbitrations and arbitrations under the rules of UNCITRAL, ICC, LCIA, LMAA and SCC.
Projects (Engineering and Construction)
Our engineering and construction practice has an established reputation in China. Our work encompasses all areas of construction ranging from advising on the drafting of joint venture agreements, negotiation on the terms of construction contracts to advising on disputes that arise from the construction process. Our lawyers are familiar with various construction contract forms in particular the FIDIC Conditions of Contract for EPC/ Turnkey Projects. When disputes arise, our team has strong experience in handling contentious situations and are extremely familiar with alternative methods of dispute resolution such as arbitration, mediation and conciliation. Our lawyers have been involved in construction related arbitration cases involving many countries including China, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Sino Global Legal Alliance
Lovells launched the Sino-Global Legal Alliance (SGLA) in September 2007. This ground-breaking and unique structure combines the experience and resources of Lovells with a specially selected group of leading Chinese law firms located in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang and other cities. Together we provide clients with access to more than 1,300 domestic and international lawyers throughout China's key cities and regions. Lovells is the only international law firm able to assist clients in most major cities throughout China though the SGLA firms.