Profile
George Qi is the Co-Managing Shareholder in the firm's Shanghai office and Co-Chair of the firm's China Practice. He has more than 20 years’ experience advising clients in a variety of China-related matters. He concentrates his practice on mergers and acquisitions, foreign direct investment, internal investigations and other commercial matters. He also has wide-ranging experience in assisting Chinese companies in cross-border dispute resolutions, particularly lawsuits filed in the United States.
Capabilities
Experience
- Training. Conduct trainings for publicly listed U.S. companies operating in the PRC on the FCPA and PRC anti-bribery laws.
- International Medical Device Company. Conducted an internal investigation of potential FCPA violations involving paying bribes to Chinese health care professionals (HCPs) through distributors.
- Global Fortune 100 Company. Conducted an internal investigation of potential FCPA violations involving providing overseas travels to Chinese state-owned companies’ employees.
- Confidential Client. Conducted a number of internal investigations of potential violations of both FCPA and Chinese anti-bribery laws involving such matters as offering kickbacks to employees of state-owned companies, paying bribes to government officials to avoid penalties, etc.
- International Sourcing Company. Conducted internal investigations in connection with conflicts of interests and sexual harassment in a Chinese subsidiary.
- Confidential Client. Conducted an internal investigation focused on potential violations of US export control laws.
- U.S.-Listed Chinese Software Company. Represented the Audit Committee in connection with a special investigation of claims raised by a "whistleblower" involving allegations of FCPA violations, related party transactions, inflated earnings and fraud.
- U.S.-Listed Chinese Internet Gaming Company. Represented the Audit Committee in connection with a special investigation of claims raised by a "Whistleblower" under the SEC’s whistleblower program involving allegations of undisclosed conflicts of interest, related party transactions and fraud.
- U.S.-Listed Chinese Manufacturing Company. Represented a U.S. publicly listed Chinese manufacturing company in securities class action litigation and NASDAQ and SEC proceedings arising out of certain discrepancies and issues the auditor identified as relating to the company and its subsidiaries’ financial records.
- International Manufacturing Company. Conducted an internal investigation in connection with stealing confidential information by a Chinese employee.
- Technology Company. Represented a technology company in an internal investigation focused on the improper dissemination of proprietary information to a competitor.
- Confidential Client. Represented a Fortune 50 corporation in an investigation of accounting practices by the PRC Ministry of Finance.
- Assist a China-based payment service company at a trial before TTAB, opposing federal registration of trademarks for payment services; case pending.
- Assist a Chinese public company in defense of a trade secrets infringement lawsuit; case pending.
- Assisted a U.S. subsidiary of a Chinese energy company in defense of an executive compensation case; won summary judgment with client paying nothing to adversary.
- Assisted a Chinese public company in defense of a lawsuit involving claims of copyright infringements; case settled.
- Assisted an automated driving technology company in defense of a lawsuit involving claims of trade secrets infringement, case settled.
- Assisted a Chinese public company in a case asserting competing claims to ownership over a federally registered trademark; won summary judgment with client obtaining ownership over trademark and cancellation of adversary’s registered trademark.
- Assisted a Chinese agriculture technology company in defense of an ICC arbitration involving claims of breach of contract in which plaintiff sought damages of approx. $16 million; arbitrators awarded no damages.
- Assisted a Chinese printed circuit board manufacturer in defense of a breach of contract lawsuit filed by one of its U.S.-based distributors, precluding the distributor from recovering more than 99% of the damages sought.
- Advised Black Dragon Capital in connection with its acquisition of Grass Valley, a leading technology supplier of advanced broadcast and media solutions, with operations in over 20 different jurisdictions worldwide.
- Advised TTM in acquisition of Meadville printed circuit board business (total transaction value of approximately US$900 million).
- Advised a U.S. cleaning equipment public company in acquiring a Chinese trading company by means of an asset sale.
- Advised ADC Telecommunications in acquisition of Communication Expert Ltd. and multiple PRC operating companies.
- Numerous wholly foreign-owned enterprises (WFOE) and joint ventures (JV) in various parts of China and various industries such as manufacturing, trading and distribution, logistics, marketing, engineering and construction, hotel management, etc.
- Labor and Employment - contentious terminations and dispute resolution - negotiate and document for-cause severance arrangements and agreements in connection with code-of-conduct, legal and ethical violations; negotiate settlements; manage and supervise local counsel in employment arbitrations and litigations.
Recognition & Leadership
- Member, Winning Team, Global M&A Network’s Turnaround Atlas Award, "Insolvency Deal of the Year – Middle Markets," for the Chapter 11 restructuring of ShengdaTech, Inc., 2013
Credentials
Education
- J.D., cum laude, Boston University School of Law
- LL.B., International Economic Law, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China
Admissions
- Connecticut
- Passed national PRC judicial qualification examination in 1999 and New York bar examination in 2004
Languages
- Chinese (Mandarin), Fluent
- English, Fluent