International law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP today announced that Li Li has joined its Beijing office as a partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice group.
“Ms. Li brings a wealth of experience in M&A and other transactions involving Chinese companies,” said Weil Executive Partner Barry M. Wolf. “She will be a force in the further growth of our Beijing office.”
Ms. Li has more than 20 years of experience working with major international law firms in New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. In recent years, she has been involved in a number of high-profile outbound M&A transactions involving PRC companies. She will work closely with Steven Xiang, head of Weil’s China practice, and the rest of the China-based M&A team.
“Li Li will play a key role in our outbound China M&A practice. Chinese outbound M&A transactions have grown from $30 billion in 2007 to nearly $80 billion in 2011 and we expect our China M&A practice to be engaged by an increasing number of Chinese companies doing deals outside of China,” commented Akiko Mikumo, Managing Partner for Asia. “This past year Weil was involved in the Wanda-AMC deal, the Yahoo sale back to Alibaba and Bright Food’s acquisition of Weetabix. With Li Li joining us, we will be able to address the needs of our Chinese clients even more comprehensively.”
Weil was involved in a number of high-profile deals in China in 2012, including:
- AMC Entertainment, a preeminent US movie exhibitor, in its acquisition by Dalian Wanda Group, a leading Chinese private conglomerate and China’s largest investor in cultural and entertainment activities, in a transaction valued at approximately $2.6 billion – one of the largest outbound acquisitions by a private Chinese company in 2011;
- IP transaction counsel to Yahoo! Inc. in its agreement to sell back half of its 40% stake in Alibaba Group Holding Limited for $7.1 billion;
- The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited in its $2.3 billion going-private merger, the largest completed going private of a US-listed Chinese business;
- GE in the historic joint venture with Aviation Industry Corp (deal announced by China President Hu Jingtao in the US last year);
- GE in the global transmission and distribution partnership with XD Electric Group; and
- Lion Capital LLP in the $1.9 billion sale of Weetabix Food Co. to Bright Food Group Ltd., one of the largest overseas acquisitions by a Chinese company in the food and beverage sector.
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