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Sidley has a preeminent global M&A practice that is engaged in the full spectrum of public and private mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions across a variety of industries. Our clients include large and small companies, private equity funds and other financial sponsors, boards of directors, special committees, financial advisors and other participants in corporate transactions.

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What differentiates Sidley’s M&A practice from that of other leading “M&A law firms” is that we are a full-service firm with experienced lawyers in numerous practice areas that complement and enhance our deal experience. For example, we have top-ranked practices in areas as diverse as healthcare, life sciences, insurance, real estate, hedge funds, REITs, telecommunications, energy, trade and WTO rules, U.S. antitrust and EU competition, and labor and employment law, as well as corporate governance, executive compensation, ERISA and Federal, state and many foreign tax practices. We also draw upon and work closely with lawyers in our top-ranked M&A litigation practice. 

Unlike a lot of firms that simply assign junior corporate lawyers to large due diligence exercises, we are able to deploy lawyers well versed in the legal aspects of an acquisition target’s businesses to assist our M&A lawyers in analyzing those businesses. Moreover, these Sidley lawyers assist our corporate lawyers in drafting and negotiating the specialized representations and covenants that distinguish the appropriate transaction agreement from the typical form agreement for a standard “widget” company - because there are very few standard “widget” companies out there. Few law firms have the breadth and depth of resources that we make available to our M&A clients. 

In the Asia Pacific region, we have 70 lawyers practicing M&A across our five offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Sydney and Tokyo. Since 2014, the team has completed 50 M&A deals, with an aggregate value of more than US$17 billion. Such transactions have been completed not only within the region, such as between China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, India and Australia, but in addition, we regularly work on cross-border transactions involving buyers, sellers or other parties outside the region, often collaborating with colleagues from our U.S. and European offices. Some of our lawyers also have extensive experience in the Middle East, Mongolia and other emerging markets.

Our M&A clients range from multinational corporations to financial institutions to state-owned enterprises. From a sector perspective, we advise our clients in the following industries: energy, life sciences, real estate, consumer products, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, technology, media and telecoms, financial services and insurance, and metals and mining.

Sidley’s M&A practice and its lawyers in the Asia Pacific region are recognized as leaders in the field by all the well-regarded legal directories, such as Chambers Asia Pacific, Asia Pacific Legal 500 and IFLR 1000.

Sidley’s Mergers and Acquisitions practice group provides a broad range of experience in the structuring, negotiation and financing of domestic and cross-border M&A and other strategic investment transactions. With more than 40 lawyers in Sidley’s three China offices (Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong) handling M&A transactions, we have a deep bench of legal professionals who speak fluent Mandarin, Cantonese and other Chinese dialects and are qualified in U.S., English, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japanese law as well as being very familiar with Chinese laws and regulations

Foreign Direct Investment

The rapid economic development of the China region provides compelling investment opportunities for commercial and financial organizations worldwide. As one of the world’s largest law firms with established offices in the key Chinese cities of Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai, Sidley provides a one-stop shop for global clients interested in greenfield joint ventures, restructurings/ consolidations and cross-border strategic alliances in China or with Chinese entities.

With our international capabilities, extensive experience of advising many global Fortune 100 and 500 companies and our excellent network of contacts in government agencies, we are in a strong position to advise clients on all the issues related to their FDI and other strategic M&A transactions including IP, environmental matters, regulatory, compliance and structuring, labor and employment and tax. 

Outbound M&A from China

Sidley has represented Chinese companies in many types of transactions around the globe, including the United States, England, Germany, and multiple Asian jurisdictions, looking for acquisition targets in industries such as manufacturing, energy, mining, technology, life sciences, financial services and consumer products. Sidley has substantial experience in guiding its Chinese clients through the CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) review process and similar national security and foreign investment reviews in other countries. Sidley’s global presence and extensive capabilities in other relevant regulatory fields, including export controls and sanctions, enable us to manage effectively even the most complex CFIUS reviews.

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