Baker & Daniels began building relationships in China during the 1980s. By the early 1990s, we were representing U.S. companies in China. In 1995, we applied for a license to formally establish an office there, becoming one of the first 14 U.S. law firms with an office in China.
From our Beijing office, our lawyers represent western and Chinese companies throughout China on projects from southern China in Guangdong Province through Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing, Qingdao and Dalian, and north to Shenyang. With our experience, U.S. and international businesses can be confident that we understand China’s legal context, its culture, language, business practices and government.
Our clients based in China have access to a U.S. law firm with a track record of more than 142 years, daily dealings with the U.S. federal government and strong ties to American companies of all sizes.
Lawyers in Baker & Daniels' China practice provide an array of services, including:
- Business and legal counsel to clients on the application of Chinese laws and regulations
- Representation in mediation, arbitration and litigation oversight
- Coordination and advice on enforcement of intellectual property rights
- Advice to foreign investors on how to do business in China
In addition to legal advice, we regularly facilitate business functions for clients in an unfamiliar and uncertain business environment. Our services include counsel on strategic plans for China investment and identification of business partners and manufacturing sources.
As a full-service firm, we offer clients based in China a broad spectrum of legal services, including counsel on foreign direct investment in the United States, public and private securities offerings, corporate governance and compliance matters, international sales and distribution, import and export regulation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate and immigration. Our intellectual property lawyers regularly assist foreign clients in securing and protecting their intellectual property assets in the U.S.
In 2005, Baker & Daniels was selected as the exclusive member firm for China in TAGLaw, a global alliance of high quality, independent law firms with more than 140 member firms in more than 80 countries. This role allows us to partner with other firms in meeting their clients' needs for legal services in China.
Our Team
The lawyers in our China practice are based in China and in our U.S. offices, with an integrated approach to client service. Every lawyer on the team has U.S. legal training and is licensed to practice law in the U.S. Our western lawyers have rich China-based experience, spanning more than a decade in some cases. The Chinese members of our China practice have significant western transactional experience, including past practice at major U.S. and multinational law firms. Some of our lawyers based in China and the U.S. also have Chinese legal training. Both offices have full Mandarin and English capabilities with lawyers fluent in a number of Chinese dialects, including Cantonese and Shanghainese.
With more than 370 lawyers and consulting professionals in seven offices, Baker & Daniels' core China group regularly involves lawyers on the firm’s corporate finance, litigation, intellectual property and other teams to counsel on China-related projects.
Building Relationships
In China, success often depends on relationships, including those between government and business. We have established excellent working relationships and access for clients to important ministries of the Central Government in Beijing, including the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Commerce, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and their provincial and local counterparts. We also interface regularly with central and local government authorities to obtain investment-related approvals and develop relationships for our clients as foreign investors.
We maintain ongoing ties with several Chinese provinces, including Hebei, Shandong, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei and Liaoning. We interact regularly with provincial governments across China and in the major political, commercial and financial centers of Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. These relationships help our firm stay abreast of the latest developments in China’s rapidly changing legal landscape.
In 1995, Michael Maine, senior partner and past chair of Baker & Daniels’ international practice, was granted the title of legal advisor to Hebei Provincial People’s Government. The honor placed us among the very few American law firms with lawyers who serve as advisors to Chinese governments at the provincial level. We also work closely with the American Chamber of Commerce, the U.S.-China Business Council, the All-China Lawyers Association (China’s national bar association) and numerous Chinese law firms.
Our Clients
We counsel major national and international companies with operations based in the U.S. and/or China, public and privately held companies located throughout the U.S., and Chinese companies with operations in the U.S. We represent companies engaged in business activities in China across a broad range of industries, including automotive, oil and gas, construction, consumer products, electronics, biomedical technology, chemicals, furniture, entertainment, pharmaceuticals, software development, telecommunications, information technology and various service industries.
Services
Business and Legal Counsel
Lawyers in Baker & Daniels' China practice routinely advise clients on a wide range of legal and business matters, including:
- Bankruptcy and reorganizations
- Commercial transactions
- Corporate compliance investigations
- Corporate finance
- Corporate governance
- Drug and medical device testing and approval
- Environmental regulation
- Foreign currency controls
- Foreign direct investment
- Government relations
- Immigration regulations of the U.S. and China
- Import and export regulations
- Intellectual property law and enforcement, including patent, trademark, copyright, privacy rights and e-commerce
- Investment
- Labor and employment
- Mediation, litigation and arbitration in the U.S. and foreign tribunals
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Product liability
- Real estate
- Sales and distribution
- Tax
- Trade regulation and compliance
Business Facilitation
In addition to legal and business counsel, Baker & Daniels lawyers also offer a number of services that enable clients to establish and continue strategy for their China operations, including:
- Development of strategic plans for China investment
- Identification of business partners, manufacturing sources, key personnel and plant site location
- Strategic market analysis
- Interpretation and document translation
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