Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP is pleased to announce that Jinshu “John” Zhang has joined the firm’s office in Los Angeles as a partner. Zhang’s practice encompasses mergers, acquisitions, private placements, public offerings of securities, and other sophisticated business transactions, with a particular emphasis on Chinese outbound investments.
Zhang has represented clients as lead corporate counsel in a broad range of industries, including investment banking, private equity, renewable energy, electronics, videogames, furniture, automotive parts, information technology, and entertainment. He has advised a $500 billion Chinese sovereign wealth fund in a $1.2 billion investment in a Hong Kong publicly traded company; a US-based technology fund capitalized by a Chinese sovereign wealth fund in connection with its investments in portfolio companies; and one of the largest Chinese energy companies in its $500 million acquisition of wind farms in the US, among other transactions. Zhang frequently counsels foreign investors about US regulatory agencies, including the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. He is also a trusted advisor and counselor related to high-profile litigation involving Chinese entities.
“John is a highly respected authority on Chinese outbound investment. The depth of his knowledge and contacts at Chinese sovereign wealth funds, major state-owned enterprises, corporations, investment banks, private equity funds, and local law firms in China is impressive,” said Ed Schultz, the partner-in-charge of Edwards Wildman’s Los Angeles office. “He is a talented deal lawyer and skilled corporate counselor. We are delighted to welcome John to Edwards Wildman.”
Edwards Wildman has been expanding its Asia-Pacific capabilities recently, welcoming Howard Jiang as a corporate and securities partner in New York earlier this year. The firm is highly regarded for its cross-border practice and its international commercial experience in Asia. Edwards Wildman’s Hong Kong office advises clients and takes a hands-on approach to assisting them with their expansion into the Chinese and other Asian markets. In addition, attorneys in Edwards Wildman’s London office have extensive networks and relationships throughout Asia.
Zhang, who will be a partner in Edwards Wildman’s Business Law Department, has practiced for 20 years with international law firms. Previously, Zhang served as Senior Director, Asia Pacific and a partner in the Corporate and Securities Group in Reed Smith’s Los Angeles office. Prior to Reed Smith, he was a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Los Angeles office for eight years. He began his legal career as an associate at Jones Day and Graham & James.
Zhang earned his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law; his Master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles; and his undergraduate degree from Beijing University. Fluent in Mandarin, he did his graduate studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing. He has authored numerous articles and spoken on panels about conducting business in the US and China, and also writes a column for Caixin, a major financial publication in China.
