Milbank has been active in China since the early 1990s, serving both international and Chinese clients in a wide range of cross-border deals and financings. We have helped pioneer and execute many of the largest and most complex capital markets, strategic M&A, private equity and project finance transactions from China.
Milbank reaffirmed its commitment to the market by opening its Beijing office in 2006 and our core China team is based in both Beijing and Hong Kong, where we have three resident partners and approximately 12 resident associates. All lawyers on the team are graduates of top U.S. law schools and fluent in written and spoken Chinese. Our China work spans a multitude of practice areas, including capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, project development and project finance, aircraft leasing and distressed assets.
Milbank has led the way on capital markets offerings from China, representing Chinese issuers and international underwriters in China's first SEC-registered IPO; and one of China's biggest IPOs – China Construction Bank. In debt offerings, we worked on the first high yield from China 10 years ago and more recently completed the Mandra Forestry high yield offering, which won several awards in 2005.
Our team has over a decade of buyside and sellside experience in private equity, strategic and public M&A involving Chinese companies, including the largest single foreign investment, Bank of America’s investment in China Construction Bank. We also represent sponsors, developers and lenders in connection with infrastructure, resource development and other project financing transactions in China. Our extensive experience in Asia and globally allows us to assist clients in all types of project and infrastructure activities in China, including greenfield development, non-recourse debt financing, equity and JV investments, dispositions, auctions, and restructurings.
In addition, we have worked with all the major Chinese airlines in major aircraft financing and leasing transactions. Our practices include:
Corporate
Finance
Financial Restructuring
Intellectual Property
Firm Recognition. We routinely win deal and firm of the year awards from international legal and financial journals.
In 2005, Milbank swept the Asian Legal Business China and Southeast Asia awards. For four years running, International Financial Law Review (IFLR) nominated us as Asia’s #1 “International Law Firm of the Year.” Our awards include:
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Asian M&A Deal of the Year: Bukit Makmur Mandiri Utama (BUMA) Takeover and Financing, 2010 – (IFLR)
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Asia Pacific M&A Deal of the Year: GCL-Poly’s Acquisition of Jiangsu Zhongneng – Global M&A Network Atlas Awards
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Asia Deal of the Year 2009 – TelecomFinance Awards
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Best Asian High Yield Deal 2009 – Finance Asia
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Indonesian Capital Markets Deal of the Year 2009 – IFR Asia
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Best Indonesia Deal 2009 – Finance Asia
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China Deals of the Year: Equity, M&A, Debt, the #1 China Deal of the Year – Asian Legal Business
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SE Asia Deals of the Year: M&A and the #1 SE Asia Deal of the Year – Asian Legal Business
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China Deals of the Year: Equity, M&A, Debt, the #1 China Deal of the Year – Asian Legal Business
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M&A Firm of the Year – IFLR Asian Awards
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Project Finance Deal/Firm of the Year – IFLR Asian Awards
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Debt & Equity Linked Deal/Firm of the Year – IFLR Asian Awards
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Best Equity Deal. Best IPO Deal – Finance Asia Achievement Awards
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Best Non-Investment Grade Bond Deal for 2005 – Finance Asia Achievement Awards
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Deal of the Year 2005 – Asian Counsel
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Debt Market Deal of the Year – Asian Legal Business
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Best value for money; most commercially aware; most innovative; best after deal support; fastest. – Airfinance Journal’s Guide to Aviation Lawyers (2006)
Partner Recognition. Our partners in Asia are widely recognized as among the “world’s leading lawyers” in capital markets, M&A, private equity, project finance, corporate restructuring, banking and finance, by legal publications, including: Chambers Global, AsiaLaw Leading Lawyers 2005 – Asia Law & Practice, Euromoney’s “Best of the Best” Legal Expert Guide 2005, IFLR’s Expert Guide, IFLR1000, Euromoney International Legal Guide, Asia Pacific Legal 500 and the “Who’s Who of International Lawyers.”
Information on how to pursue a career with Milbank's Beijing practice