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Introduction
Shenyang is the largest city in northeast China and a leading centre for Chinese industrial, aerospace, software and other high-tech companies. The region continues to benefit from a variety of investment incentives provided under a national government programme to "Revitalize the Northeast", and in recent years has enjoyed economic growth above the national average. With over 80 legal professionals, Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma Law firm is the largest law firm in Northeast China and is consistently rated as one of the leading law firms in the region. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma provides high quality service for both international and domestic clients in its major practice areas of corporate and commercial, real estate and construction, employment law, intellectual property and litigation and dispute resolution.
Awards and Recognition
In addition to being designated as an Outstanding National Law Firm by the Ministry of Justice, Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma was also a finalist for the 2008 Asian Legal Business award for Best Law Firm in Northeast China. The firm is consistently recognised as a market leader, winning designations as an Outstanding City Law Firm in 2000 by the Shenyang Municipal Bureau of Justice, an Outstanding Provincial Law Firm in 2003 by the Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Justice and as an Outstanding National Law Firm in 2005 by the All China Lawyers' Association (ACLA).
Representative Clients
Representative clients of the firm include Hyundai Group, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Bank of China, Shenyang Huali Plaza, China Invest Bank (Shenyang Branch), Calbee Potato Food Co., Ltd., Shenyang International Technical Cooperation Company, Mingren Group, Bowang Group, Dooray Group (Korea), the Shenyang Korean Commercial Association, China Mechanical Import & Export Co., Ltd. Liaoning Limeng Group, Shenyang Aero-Industry Group, Shenyang Ruixue Co., Ltd., Liaoning Yuanda Group, Shenyang Yintai Department Store, Shenyang Petrochemicals, Kangli Co. of Canada, Liaoning Foreign Trading Co., Ltd., Dalian Zhengtai Real Estate, Shenyang Koyo Industrial Co., Ltd. and the Information Centre of Liaoning Province.
Founding and Offices
Founded in 1999, Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma has offices in Shenyang, Dalian, Beijing, Shanghai and a soon to be opened branch in Huludao, Liaoning. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma Law firm is headquartered in Shenyang and provides a full-range of legal services to its many foreign and domestic corporate clients. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's Beijing and Shanghai offices have a strong focus on business matters, often advising Japanese and Korean companies on investing in Northeast China.
Qualifications and Background of Lawyers
Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's has a total of 86 legal staff. Of Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's senior partners, nearly all have advanced degrees and almost half have international legal training in jurisdictions including Japan, EU, Hong Kong and the United States. Many of Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's lawyers are fluent in one or more foreign languages, including English and Japanese. A number of the firm's lawyers have previous experience working in international law firms.
Government Relations
Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma maintains close working relations with key national and municipal government departments, regulatory authorities, judicial officials, professional organizations and leading legal academic organizations and scholars. For example, Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma lawyers include former judges in Liaoning Superior Court, a department director of the Liaoning Judicial Committee, and a lecturer at Liaoning Public Security & Judicial Management School. Partners at Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma are also current members of Legal Consultant Group for the Shenyang Municipal Government, the Shenyang Political Consultative Committee, the Central Committee of the China Democratic National Construction Association and the Standing Committee of Liaoning Lawyers' Association.
Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma also advises government agencies and state-owned enterprises, including Jinbei Auto Co., Ltd., Liaoning Non-staple Food Group, and the Shenyang Real Estate Management Bureau, as well as various other local governmental agencies.
Main Practice Areas
Corporate and Commercial
Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma has a broad corporate and commercial practice representing clients in a wide variety of industries in many types of corporate matters. The firm's corporate and commercial practice group focuses on general corporate, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), foreign direct investment (FDI), restructuring, international business transactions and corporate bankruptcy matters. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma has experience working in tandem with foreign law firms, bolstering their assistance to foreign clients developing businesses in China.
Key partners in the Corporate Practice Group ofWang, Wu, Yang & Ma Law Office are Wang Li, Hui Zhaoyang and Zhao Xueyan (see bios of key partners below).
Representative corporate matters include:
- Advised on a telecommunications capacity expansion project between Motorola and the Liaoning Communications Bureau
- Advised on a joint venture project between Shenyang Northern Airlines and Hong Kong Yangze Development Co., Ltd. on a project involving USD 20 million
- Negotiating a GSM project between Ericsson and the Liaoning Communications Bureau valued at USD 230 million.
Real Estate and Construction
Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's Real Estate Practice Group has experience advising clients on all stages of real estate investment projects, from acquisition, construction and operations through transfer. The firm's real estate practice group advises clients on all types of commercial, residential and industrial projects, as well as on the financing and construction phase of development. Partners in the real estate practice also have experience acting and prevailing for clients on real estate litigation.
Key partners in the Real Estate Practice Group ofWang, Wu, Yang & Ma include Wu Xiaobo, Liu Hong and Wang Tong (see bios of key partners below).
Represented real estate and construction matters include:
- Acted for Shenyang Hongfa Real Estate Co., Ltd., on its Poetic Town project, which involved an investment of RMB 20 billion
- Acted for Wanke Real Estate Co., Ltd., on its Everblooming Town project, which involved an investment of RMB 30 billion
- Advised Shenyang Qianyuan Real Estate Co., Ltd., on its Loving Town project
- Conducted a due diligence report on behalf of Hong Kong New World Group for a real estate project to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Employment and Labour
The rapid changes in Chinese labour and employment law have been one of the most dynamic factors affecting business decisions in recent years. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's Employment and Labour Practice Group focuses on the issues the new laws present to corporate clients, providing solutions for their safe compliance. The firm has substantial experience advising foreign and domestic clients on recruiting, employer-employee relations, training, non-competition and confidentiality agreements, employee termination, downsizing and post-employment matters such as litigation and alternative dispute resolution.
Key partners in the Employment and Labour Practice Group of Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma include Wang Li, and Yang Xingquan (see bios of key partners below).
Intellectual Property
In recent years China has taken steps to improve its protection of intellectual property rights, however the legal environment still requires companies to actively pursue infringers to ensure its rights are enforced. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's IP Practice Group has vigorously defended these rights for several clients, and partners in the practice group have technical backgrounds and advanced degrees in the sciences, ensuring that the group understands complicated non-legal issues which often arise in the context of intellectual property rights disputes. The IP practice group assists clients with regulatory filings for patents, copyrights and trademarks and also advises clients on taking effective private and public enforcement measures. Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma has an impressive history of helping clients protect their IP portfolio.
Key partners in the IP Practice Group ofWang, Wu, Yang & Ma include Wang Li, Yang Xingquan , and Zhao Xueyan (see bios of key partners below).
Representative intellectual property matters include:
- Acted for the first computer software infringing case
- Acted for the American-Chinese author: Liuyong' copyright infringement case
- Acted for karaoke audio / video infringement case, which had a nationwide impact.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
Litigation and dispute resolution is one of Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma is core strengths. With several former judges and senior partners with extensive litigation experience, Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma's clients are adequately represented when a dispute unfortunately arises. The firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group represents clients in all types of domestic civil, administrative, arbitration and alternative dispute resolution actions. Many past actions specifically dealt with contractual disputes, clarification on the title of property and corporate reorganization, and often involved foreign parties.
Key partners in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group ofWang, Wu, Yang & Ma include Wang Li, and Yang Xingquan (see bios of key partners below).
Representative litigation and dispute resolution matters include:
- Acted for Hyundai Group - Acted for Dooray Group
- Acted for the Shenyang Korean Commercial Association
- Acted for China Mechanical Import & Export Co.
- Acted for Liaoning Limeng Group
- Acted for Shenyang Aero-Industry Group and Shenyang Ruixue Co., Ltd.
- Acted for Industry and Commercial Bank of China
- Acted for Bank of China
- Acted for Liaoning Yuanda Group on a contract dispute
- Acted for Shenyang Yintai Department Store
- Acted for Shenyang Petrochemicals
- Acted for China Investment Bank on a contractual dispute involving foreign trade
- Acted for Kangli Co. of Canada
- Acted for Liaoning Foreign Trading Co., Ltd.
- Acted for Dalian Zhengtai Real Estate.
Biographies of Key Partners
Wang Li is the managing partner of Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma. He has received B.A., M.A. and PhD in physics and has been a practicing attorney in China since 1994. Dr. Wang's practice has primarily been in the fields of foreign investment, corporate matters, securities, intellectual property, labour law and business structuring and reorganisation. Dr. Wang has experience cooperating with law firms in the United States, Germany, Australia, Korea and other countries, advising on international matters within China. Dr. Wang is a member of the All China Lawyers' Association, a vice-chairman of the Shenyang Lawyers' Association, a deputy director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Liaoning Lawyers' Association and a member of the Shenyang Political Consultative Committee.
Wu Xiaobo, a senior partner in the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, graduated from Jilin University Law School with an L.L.M. in law and economics. As a former judge on the Liaoning Superior Court, Deputy Governor of Qingyuan County and a director of the Liaoning Judicial Committee, Mr. Wu has a detailed understanding of the practical legal issues often arising under PRC law. Mr. Wu has been practicing law since 1997 and has litigated more than 40 cases involving corporate and real estate law
Yang Xingquan is a senior partner at in the firm's Corporate Practice Group. He graduated from Peking University Law School and has vast experience in general corporate law matters, with a focus on foreign investment, company law and intellectual property law. He is a member of the Shenyang Youth Association, the Legal Consultant Group for the Shenyang Municipal Government and a part-time arbitrator for the Shenyang Labour Dispute and Arbitration Committee.
Ma Linping is a senior partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group. She graduated with an L.L.B. from Peking University Law School and an L.L.M. from China Public Security University. Ms. Ma is a frequent academic lecturer and active litigator and has published more than thirty papers and litigated over 100 cases since beginning her practice in 1994. Her litigation often involves disputes over contracts, clarification of property ownership and reorganization of enterprises. In addition to litigating, she has broad experience in negotiating large business deals on behalf of international and domestic corporate clients.
Liu Hong, a senior partner in the firm's Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice Group, focuses on real estate and negotiable instruments disputes. He began his career in 1977 as a judge on the Liaoning Superior Court and was a court committee member from 1980 to 1998, hearing over three hundred cases. He received an L.L.M. in law and economics in 1996 and has since specialized in complex economic and financial litigation. He has represented clients in economic and financial cases over 40 times since 1998 and has helped settle contractual disputes for many large corporate clients, including Liaoning Yuanda Group, Shenyang Yintai Department Store, Shenyang Petrochemicals, China Investment Bank, Kangli Co. of Canada, Liaoning Foreign Trading Co., Ltd. and Dalian Zhengtai Real Estate.
Zhao Xueyang, a senior partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group, focuses his practice on taxation, corporate law and international legal matters. He received a B.A. from Northeast China Finance and Economics University in 1991 and later travelled to Japan in 1994, where he earned an L.L.M. at Tokyo University and worked for the Japanese law firm of Komatsu & Nishikawa. He has published several articles in both Japanese and Chinese about arbitration and intellectual property rights related to computer software.
Wang Tong is a senior partner in the firm's Real Estate Practice Group. He earned an L.L.M. in civil and commercial law and has been a practicing lawyer since 1985. Mr. Wang has experience serving as counsel to more than ten government agencies and has a detailed and thorough understanding of the regulatory process. He also has extensive commercial litigation experience and a history of recovering large judgments and settlements for international and domestic clients in contractual disputes. His practice focuses on disputes over real estate contracts, securities contracts and foreign commercial contracts.
Hui Zhaoyang is a senior partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group. He graduated from the Asia-Africa College of London University with an L.L.M. in international law and subsequently practiced at the firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, later attending a program sponsored by the John Marshall School of Law in the United States. He currently advises a variety of corporations on structuring, international trade, regulatory and general corporate matters in China. He has established a network of working relationships with international law firms in Great Britain, the United States, Israel and Hong Kong. He is currently a member of the Shenyang Political Consultative Conference, the China National Democratic Construction Association, the Foreign Law Committee of the Liaoning Lawyers' Association and the Legal Advisory Group of the Shenyang Municipal Government.
Huang Yong, a senior partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group, has been practicing law since 1983, with experience working as in-house counsel for Shenyang Dongyu Group, Liaoning Guofa Group and Shenyang Heguang Group. Mr. Huang's practice focuses on enterprise financing, enterprise reorganization, capital operation, investment project negotiation and contract disputes.
Zhao Xuewei is a senior partner in the firm's Corporate Practice Group. He received an L.L.B. from Peking University Law School in 1984, beginning his career as a judge in the Dalian Intermediate Court. In 1990 he enrolled at Tokyo Metropolitan University, where he earned an L.L.M. Following graduation, he remained in Japan, working for Japan Telecommunication Co., Ltd. and Komatsu & Nishikawa Law Firm. Mr. Zhao's practice focuses on advising Japanese enterprises on FDI and international trade issues, project finance, technology transfer, equipment leasing, share transfer and corporate liquidation.
Contact Wang, Wu, Yang & Ma (Tongfang) Law Firm
Shenyang Office
Beijing Office
3/F Changfugong Office Building,
#A26 Jianguomenwai Road,
Chaoyang District,
Beijing, 100022
Tel +86 (10) 6512 2100
Fax +86 (10) 6512 2133
Dalian Office
Room 2202, Times Building,
7 Gangwan Road,
Zhongshan District,
Dalian, 116001
Tel +86 (411) 8279 8919
Fax +86 (411) 8279 8929
Shanghai Office
18/F, HSBC Tower,
1000 Lujiazui Ring Road,
Pudong New District,
Shanghai, 200120
Tel +86 (21) 6841 1626
Fax +86 (21) 6841 1626