Zhong Lun Law Firm Annual ReportAnnual Firm Zhong Lun Law 2014 Zhong Lun 2014 ANNUAL REPORT Beijing Office Wuhan Office Hong Kong Office 36-37/F, SK Tower, 6A Jianguomenwai Avenue, 17/F, New World International Trade Tower, 568 Jianshe 409 Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central Chaoyang District, Beijing 100022, P.R.China Road, Jianghan District, Wuhan 430022, P.R.China Hong Kong Tel : 86-10-5957 2288 Tel : 86-27-8555 7988 Tel : 852-2877 3088 Fax : 86-10-6568 1022/1838 Fax : 86-27-8555 7588 Fax : 852-2525 1099 Shanghai Office Chengdu Office Tokyo Office 10-11/F, Two IFC, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong New 6/F, East Building, La Defense, 1480 North Tianfu 6/F, Kioicho Building, 3-12 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku Area, Shanghai 200120, P.R.China Avenue, High-tech Zone, Chengdu 610042, P.R.China Tokyo 102-0094, Japan Tel : 86-21-6061 3666 Tel : 86-28-6208 8000 Tel : 81-3-3288 8791 Fax : 86-21-6061 3555 Fax : 86-28-6208 8111 Fax : 81-3-3288 8795 Shenzhen Office Chongqing Office London Office 9-10/F, Tower A, Rongchao Centre, 6003 Yitian 5-1 A, Tower D, PICC Life Insurance Tower, 3 Financial 10-11 Austin Friars Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 518026, P.R.China Street, Jiangbei District, Chongqing 400023, P.R.China London EC2N 2HG Tel : 86-755-3325 6666 Tel : 86-23-8879 8388 U.K. Fax : 86-755-3320 6888/6889 Fax : 86-23-8879 8300 Tel : 44-20-7382 1567 Fax : 44-20-7382 1568 Guangzhou Office Qingdao Office New York Office 23/F, R&F Center, 10 Huaxia Road, Tianhe District 27/F, Tower A, Ocean Plaza, 61 Hong Kong Middle Road, 340 Madison Avenue, 19th Floor Guangzhou 510623, P.R.China Shinan District, Qingdao 266071, P.R.China New York, New York 10173 Tel : 86-20-2826 1688 Tel : 86-532-5572 8677/8678 U.S.A Fax : 86-20-2826 1666 Fax : 86-532-8667 7666 Tel : 1-212-220 9399 Fax : 1-212-202 3758 本所为特殊的普通合伙制事务所 LLP Beijing·Shanghai·Shenzhen·Guangzhou·Chengdu·Wuhan·Chongqing·Qingdao·Hong Kong·Tokyo·London·New York Content Message from the 16 Real Estate 3 Managing Partner 18 Capital Markets/Securities About Zhong Lun 4 24 Private Equity & Investment Funds Awards and Honors 5 26 Corporate/Foreign Direct Investment News of the Year 9 27 Mergers and Acquisitions Activities of the Year 10 29 Banking and Finance Social Responsibility 14 32 Dispute Resolution 34 Intellectual Property 37 Construction & Infrastructure 39 Antitrust/Competition 40 WTO/International Trade 41 Overseas Investments 42 Labor & Employment 43 Tax & Wealth Planning 45 Securitization & Financial Products 48 Bankruptcy & Reorganization 49 Regulatory Compliance/Anti-bribery 50 Hospitality Technology, Media, Telecoms and 51 Entertainment Environmental, Energy & Natural 52 Resources 53 Shipping 2 Message from the Managing Partner As we wrap up the fruitful Year of the Horse, may In 2014, we strove to consolidate Zhong Lun’s I invite you to join me in a toast to an auspicious established reputation further by strengthening and prosperous Year of the Goat? our teams and developing our expertise. It is for these purposes that we have internally promoted On this occasion, please allow me, on behalf of and laterally hired new partners, provided both Zhong Lun’s Management Committee, to send novice legal practitioners and experienced our best wishes to our friends who never fail lawyers with tailored training programs, and built to provide us with care and support as well as up our expertise for later reference, all of which our diligent colleagues who make invaluable have ensured the superior quality of our service contributions to the firm from offices across and increased the work efficiency and risk the globe. Our warmest and sincerest wishes management capability of the firm. I would like also extend to our friends and colleagues who to take this opportunity to express my gratitude are occupied with work or on business trip and to all the colleagues who put their heart into and unable to reunite with their families during the make painstaking effort for their work. The firm holiday season. I wish each of you a happy, simply could not be where it is today without healthy and successful New Year in your you. personal and professional lives. Our mission keeps driving us on. With the 2014 has proved to be an extraordinary year for advent of the New Year, we need to be aware Zhong Lun. With constant and united efforts, we that there is still a long and challenging journey have overcome a multitude of challenges and ahead for us to reach our goals for 2015: to turned a new page in the further expansion of keep up moderate overall growth which benefits the firm. We now have over 200 partners and every member of the firm, to lay equal stress 1,000 legal professionals and have developed on service quality and business expansion in a global network of 12 offices including two furtherance of the firm’s high status among newly established in Chongqing and Qingdao. domestic and international rivals, to adapt our By virtue of our long-standing reputation as one international strategy and specialization planning of the leading full-service law firms in China, to better suit China’s new economic situation along with the fresh energy and bright outlook and our clients’ specific needs, and to shoulder infused by new blood, Zhong Lun is positioned social responsibility as we always have done to provide legal service of the highest calibre. and try our very best to give even more back to society. Empowered by our strong teamwork, Despite an increasingly challenging legal market open-mindedness, enterprising spirit, and sense environment last year, Zhong Lun has triumphed of responsibility, we have every confidence that over adversity and achieved strong business 2015 is going to be our year. growth. 2014 witnessed Zhong Lun’s fastest development in recent years, which is especially As we shift our momentum into the New Year, our evident in our offices in mainland China, Hong hearts are filled with gratitude and expectations. Kong and London. As we maintained pre- We are thankful for the opportunities bestowed eminence in our established practice areas, we on us by the time and the society, the unyielding have made great strides in emerging industries support from our friends, and the intelligence as well. A number of cases we have advised or and devotion of our colleagues. Humbled by are advising on in areas such as capital market, the long journey before us, we hope that we will cross-border M&A, anti-monopoly/competition, always have our good friends by our side to offer structured finance/asset securitization, us care, help and guidance. bankruptcy/reorganization, and intellectual property have become leading cases, or even I wish all of you a blessed and wonderful time benchmarks for their respective industries. ahead! Our remarkable achievements over the past year are not only a testament to our deep Wu Peng, Managing Partner commitment and close collaboration, but also Zhong Lun Law Firm a result of the firm’s solid rooting in “devotion, February 2015 collaboration, transparency, and enterprise” and the unwavering support of our friends. 3 Zhong Lun Law Firm Annual Report 2014 About Zhong Lun A leading full service law rm in China Founded in 1993, Zhong Lun is one of the largest law firms providing a complete spectrum of legal services in China. Zhong Lun, with over 200 partners and 900 professionals working in twelve offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Qingdao, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London and New York, is capable of providing our clients with high-quality legal services across a wide range of fields by virtue of appropriate specialization and close teamwork. + + Partners 200 Professionals 900 4 Zhong Lun Law Firm Annual Report 2014 Awards and Honors PRC Law Firm of the Year Best Overall Law Firm Chambers and Partners China Business Law Journal Best Chinese Law Firm Full Service Law Firm of the Year: China ILASA Corporate Intl PRC Law Firm of the Year Law Firm of the Year: China Lawyers World (ICFM 2014 LAW AWARDS) InterContinental Finance Law Firm of the Year-PRC Dealmakers 5 Zhong Lun Law Firm Annual Report 2014 Awards and Honors Recommended Law Firm for Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions, Dispute Resolution, WTO and International Trade, Banking Legal 500 and Finance, Tax, Labor and Employment, Intellectual Property, Energy and Project Finance Band One Law Firm for Capital Markets, Mergers and Acquisitions, Private Equity, IFLR 1000 Investment Funds, Anti- monopoly, and Banking & Finance Beijing Law Firm of the Year Asian Legal Business Real Estate Law Firm of the Year Asian Legal Business Recommended Band-1 PRC M&A Law Firm Asian Legal Business Employer of Choice Asian Legal Business 6 Zhong Lun Law Firm Annual Report 2014 Domestic Firm of the Year: Real Estate and Construction China Law & Practice Domestic Firm of the Year: Trade China Law & Practice Domestic Team of the Year: Banking and Finance China Law & Practice Leading PRC Corporate M&A Law Firm ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL Leading PRC Dispute Resolution Law Firm ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL Leading PRC Restructuring and Insolvency Law Firm ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL The Most Responsive Domestic Law Firm in China ASIAN-MENA COUNSEL Ranking 4th in League Table of Legal Advisors by Deal Count (Q1-Q3 2014) Merger Market Private Equity Law Firm of the Year Corporate Intl Foreign Direct Investment Law Firm of the Year – Industry Choice Corporate Intl International Trade Law Firm of the Year – Editor Choice Corporate Intl Real Estate Law Firm of the Year – Industry Choice Corporate Intl Telecommunications Law Firm of the Year – Client