Asialaw Profiles
The Guide to the legal markets of the Asia-Pacific

Lee Tsai & Partners

Lee Tsai & Partners advised Deutsche Bank, as administrative agent to the secured parties on a US$810 million credit agreement, on amendment of the agreement and the continuation of the pledge of shares of the borrower’s subsidiary. The firm has comprehensive experience on banking deals, including advising on Singapore Power Group’s syndicated loan, Marubeni Group’s syndicated loan, and on financial derivative deals.

Lin & Partners

Lin & Partners is known for providing legal advice, in connection with consumer banking, credit cards and e-banking, to many multinational banks and their Taiwan branches. The firm assisted Credit Suisse in obtaining mandatory approval from regulators to issue offshore structured financial products. Another notable transaction involved representing a Taiwanese IC design company that was being acquired by a Chinese power controller manufacturer.

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe

Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe advised on the first Nasdaq IPO by a Taiwanese LED manufacturer. The SemiLEDs Corporation listing was valued at US$102 million. Orrick is one of the few international law firms with a dedicated Taiwanese practice that provides advice on sophisticated, cross border transactions. The firm understands Taiwanese business culture as well as US-style deal making techniques.

Chen & Lin

Chen & Lin has vast experience on administrative litigation and arbitration involving contract disputes. The team’s strength has grown considerately and has been handling complex international cases. The firm represented an international cookware company in a law suit against a Shanghai company that was claiming compensation as a result of the defendant’s breach of an international business contract.

Lee Tsai & Partners

Lee Tsai & Partners is renowned in the market for possessing former judges as litigators in the firm. The practice represented the Taipei City Government in an administrative proceeding between the Farglory Dome and the Taipei City Government as a result of Farglory’s irregular bidding practice when bidding for a project.

Lin & Partners

Lin & Partners’ litigation practice specialises in finding innovative and alternate solutions on litigation and arbitration matters. The firm represented the defendant in a matter where Pacific Electronic Wire & Cable brought a civil litigation valuing US$61.5 million to Hong Kong for alleged misconduct of investments in Conrad Hotel.

Chen & Lin

Led by Che-Hung Chen and Vanessa Weng, the Chen & Lin practice concentrates on the protection of patents, trade marks and copyrights. The firm acted for a US-based chemical products producer when it sued a Taiwan-based producer for patent infringement. Another notable transaction saw the firm represent a Taiwan-listed electronics company against a suit by Bluestone Innovations Texas for patent infringement.

Formosan Brothers

The firm’s intellectual property practice excels in providing general legal consultation, licensing negotiations and patent infringement advice. The firm represented a leading corporation in the semiconductor and nano-manufacturing technology sector in a patent infringement action against a Korean manufacturer of TFT-LCD panels. Another dispute saw the firm defend a Taiwanese biotechnology and pharmaceutical developer in a patent infringement action brought by a leading international pharmaceutical manufacturer.

Lee Tsai & Partners

Lee Tsai & Partners contains high quality practitioners that specialise in technology and have experience dealing with technology procurement and licensing. The team assisted InterServ International in negotiating various game publishing licence agreements with major operators in China, Korea, Southeast Asia and the US. The team also represented Taipei Fubon Bank in a trade mark infringement case against a local bank in Taiwan.

Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner

Finnegan’s extensive knowledge in fields ranging from molecular biology to chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering allow it to tackle day-to-day issues surrounding IP protection. Last year’s deal highlight was representing HTC and its US subsidiary in an investigation seeking to exclude Apple’s iPhone, iTunes and iPad products from importation into the US.

Lee Tsai & Partners is highly regarded for its “in-depth knowledge of the media and entertainment industries”, says one competitor. The firm provides media and entertainment companies with comprehensive advice in relation to broadcasting rights.

The firm’s attorneys also have experience advising international financiers, distributors, networks and studios in the film and media sector.

The past year saw the team represent an affiliate of one of the world’s largest investment banks in a proposal to acquire one of Taiwan’s cable television system operators.

Formosa Transnational

Formosa Transnational is very experienced in handling labour law issues, including issues surrounding severance pay and mass employee redundancy. A core segment of the team’s labour and employment practice is providing contract advice and dispute resolution services to Japanese clients. Deal highlights include advising a Japanese airline on regulations connected to the Labour Standards Act.

Lee Tsai & Partners

Lee Tsai & Partners provides the full range of labour and employment law services and is expert in drafting employee handbooks, corporate terminations and redundancies. The firm is also an industry leader in providing legal services to the technology industry. A notable highlight last year was representing Testrite Group in employment matters arising from the integration of its four subsidiaries, including HOLA Taiwan.

Lin & Partners

Although more renowned for its banking, finance and corporate work, Lin & Partners’ practice also has the ability to provide professional and efficient employment litigation advice. The firm was commissioned by the Financial Supervisory Commission, the highest banking regulator in Taiwan, to study the response to and protocols surrounding labour strikes by employees of banks in the US, Japan and South Korea.

Winkler Partners

Winkler Partners’ highly recommended labour practice has a team of very experienced practitioners handling a large number of employment-related cases. The firm represented a major global medical device company in a civil suit filed by a former employee in Taiwan. This cross border dispute required coordinating with counsel in other jurisdictions. Other work included advising international entertainment and integrated circuit multinationals on employee handbooks for their Taiwan operations.