Desk China

Experience and stability

The Shanghai office is staffed by 2 partners with over 15 years’ experience in China.

Under the supervision of the latter, a team of a dozen Asian and European associates and lawyers is able to intervene in all areas of business law in China. An Asia Desk in Paris completes this geographical coverage.

A bicultural team, a long-standing professional practice rooted in knowledge and mastery of Chinese constraints, and the experience of the partners in charge of the Shanghai office are all assets that enable UGGC Avocats to provide its clients with quality services that meet international standards and the exacting standards of European clients.

The main working languages are French, English and Chinese (Mandarin and Shanghainese).

Proximity and availability

The organization of UGGC Avocats favors local proximity and a personalized relationship with its clients. The firm is able to assist foreign companies at every stage of their establishment and development in the Chinese market.

UGGC Avocats also serves the business community in China through its involvement with French and European institutions such as the Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France, the European Chamber of Commerce in China and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.

Strategy and innovation

Since its establishment in Asia, UGGC Avocats has been committed to innovation in order to adapt to a constantly evolving market and maintain a high level of service for its clients.

UGGC Avocats’ partners have contributed to the development and understanding of law in China, through academic and judicial exchanges, reflections on legal developments and the publication of specialist works.

Skills

UGGC Avocats is able to assist its clients with all their projects in Asia. The long-standing presence of UGGC Avocats’ teams in Asia has also enabled us to develop a reliable and structured network of correspondents in Hong Kong, Seoul and South-East Asia.

International investments

UGGC Avocats assists and advises its clients as they approach the Chinese market in all aspects of business law, foreign investment and taxation.

The firm is involved in all stages of its clients’ move to China, providing strategic expertise in tax location, company incorporation (with or without a Chinese partner through a joint venture, a WFOE – Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise) or the creation or establishment of representative offices or branches, as well as the administrative formalities required to set up these operations.

Mergers & Acquisitions and equity transactions

The firm has many years’ experience in carrying out equity transactions in China(i.e. equity investments, acquisitions of local listed or unlisted companies, capital investments, etc.).

The firm’s lawyers assist their clients at all stages of these transactions (letters of intent, legal and tax audits, acquisition memoranda, acquisition financing, etc.).

They also have recognized expertise in Chinese insolvency law.

Investment restructuring

UGGC Avocats has developed recognized expertise in the restructuring of foreign investments in Asia(i.e. transformation of mixed companies into exclusively foreign-invested companies, partial asset disposals and mergers, etc.) and in negotiations with Asian and foreign banks.

The firm has also set up cooperative ventures with auditing, banking and technical partners, so as to be able to carry out comprehensive audits prior to restructuring operations.

Intellectual property

The partners have extensive experience in protecting inventions, trademarks, designs, copyrights and know-how in Europe and Asia, and have assisted leading French and European private companies with their technology transfers.

Thanks to the climate of trust established over more than 15 years with the judiciary, universities, public prosecutors and public safety authorities, the firm complements its jurisdictional actions against counterfeiters with ongoing cooperation with local administrations to improve the protection of intellectual property rights.

UGGC Avocats offers comprehensive strategies for the creation, defense and enhancement of intellectual property rights in China, backed by its recognized experience in serving leading brands and companies.

Environmental law

In China, UGGC Avocats has acquired recognized expertise in environmental law and business practice in the fields of energy, mining resources, the environment (waste, air, water) and public infrastructure.

The firm assists companies and public bodies in China in a variety of areas, including foreign investment in environmental matters, environmental risk management, compliance, and legal and regulatory monitoring.

Distribution law

UGGC Avocats assists and advises leading companies developing their distribution activities in China, either by supporting distribution companies in setting up their business (procedures for obtaining administrative authorizations for retail sales, obtaining the necessary authorizations to open a store, etc.) or by assisting them in setting up distribution networks, both in the consumer goods and industrial sectors (agency or distribution agreements, licensing agreements, supply agreements, franchising, procedures for obtaining the necessary authorizations to open a store, etc.).) or by assisting them in setting up distribution networks, in both the consumer goods and industrial sectors (agency or distribution contracts, licensing agreements, supply contracts, franchising, import and export procedures, setting up sales outlets, obtaining marketing authorizations, customs disputes, etc.).

Tax law

The teams in the Shanghai office, in coordination with the teams in the Paris office, have a perfect command of Chinese and international tax regulations, particularly in terms of tax location studies, tax audits, tax ruling procedures with local authorities, negotiations with tax authorities and optimization schemes.

Employment law

The firm assists its customers with all their labor law issues, and advises on local matters in an international context: drafting local or expatriate employment contracts, internal regulations, studying individual or collective labor relations, preparing restructuring plans in the context of acquisitions, individual or collective redundancy plans and monitoring proceedings.

Litigation and arbitration

UGGC Avocats has recognized experience in dispute resolution in China, through conciliation, mediation, litigation or national and international arbitration.

The firm assists and represents its clients in the settlement of disputes, and provides them with experienced lawyers who are authorized to plead and some of whom are registered as arbitrators before international arbitration centers. UGGC Avocats has developed partnerships with Chinese law firms, enabling it to dedicate teams specialized in civil, commercial and criminal litigation to handle legal disputes that may arise for its corporate clients.

UGGC Avocats’ skills enable it to support its clients in the various phases of conciliation, mediation, arbitration (CIETAC, AAROC, HKIAC, CCI, CCAB, etc.), litigation and the enforcement of foreign decisions in China.