CMS Legal
CMS Legal has been involved on a number of M&A transactions this year for Chinese companies. The firm recently represented a major German investment bank on the transfer of shares in Zhejiang Wanfeng Motorcycle Wheel, in a deal valued at RMB34.5 million (US$5.4 million). CMS Legal also advised one of China’s largest metal manufacturers on a proposed 100% share acquisition of CM Chemiemetall GmbH Bitterfeld.
DeBrauw Blackstone Westbroek
Dutch firm DeBrauw Blackstone Westbroek has a growing China M&A practice that benefits from the strong relationships it enjoys with Netherlands-based clients.
Having accumulated experience on both inbound and outbound transactions, the firm recently advised NXP Semiconductors on its divestment of NXP’s Sound Solutions business to Dover Corporation for US$855 million.
Garrigues
Led by partner Francisco Soler, the Shanghai office of Iberian law firm Garrigues advises clients on a wide range of cross border M&A deals. On one recent transaction, the firm represented Ferroatlantica in connection with a project to develop the world’s largest silicon factory in China.
Uria Menendez
Spanish firm Uria Menedez opened up its China office in Beijing in 2010, and in a very short time its M&A practice has found itself advising on major cross border deals. With China’s continued interest in natural resource-related outbound transactions, the firm is well positioned to profit.
In one recent transaction, the firm represented sellers Grupo Isolux Corsán, Elecnor, Cobra Instalaciones y Servicios and Abengoa Brazil in an acquisition by the State Grid Corporation of China. The US$1.8 million transaction involved acquiring seven concessionaires of transmission lines in Brazil from a consortium of Spanish infrastructure operators.
Wilmer Hale
Wilmer Hale’s M&A practice is seen as ‘up-and-coming’ by peers in the market. “Wilmer Hale has a small but active practice in China,” says a partner at a rival firm. “It is known for doing really top quality work on important deals, and clients trust it.”
WongPartnership
WongPartnership has the largest China practice of all of the Singaporean firms, and that due diligence capability enables the firm to secure major mandates. In the last year, the firm’s M&A team represented Temasek Holdings-subsidiary SingBridge on its acquisition of a 50% stake in a joint venture with Guangzhou Knowledge City Investment and Development – a company owned by the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District Administrative Committee. The acquisition was made via subsidiary company Knowledge City, and was valued at Rmb2 billion (US$313 million).