Zhixiang（Kevin）ZHOU
Partner Title：Management Committee Member / Business Partner of Shanghai Office
Tel：+86 21 5598 9888/ 9666
Email：zhouzhixiang@dehenglaw.com
Working Language： Chinese/ English
Before joining DeHeng Law Offices, Mr. Zhou served as Private Assistant to a Forbes-listed entrepreneur, Senior Vice President of an asset management company under a central state-owned enterprise, and Managing Director of an asset management subsidiary of a Hong Kong-listed company. He has accomplished nearly 100 projects in mergers and acquisitions, overseas investments, cross-border asset management, international tax planning, asset disposal, and debt restructuring, accumulating extensive experience in risk management and dispute resolution throughout the investment operation and exit cycles.
In the course of legal practice, Mr. Zhou primarily provides services to governments, investment institutions, and entrepreneurial families, with the capability to form comprehensive and cross-jurisdictional solutions from the perspective of commerce, encompassing finance, law and taxation.
Representative Matters
- Finance & Asset Management
- As Managing Director of an institution, accomplished debt restructuring investment and successful exit for Xiamen project of Tahoe Group (Stock Code: 000732), with detailed work involving fund coordination, judicial disposal, contractor negotiations, and government liaison, etc.
- As in-house Legal Counsel of an investment institution, participated in the Pre-IPO investment in Uber Technologies, Inc., with responsibilities covering cross-border capital outflow, transaction structure design, international tax planning, and coordination with overseas professional service providers, etc.
- As in-house Legal Counsel of an investment institution, participated in the acquisition of a golf community project in Atlanta, USA, with responsibilities covering on-site due diligence, cross-border capital remittance, transaction structure design, international tax planning, and coordination with overseas professional service providers, etc.
- Provided full-scope legal services to a leading special situation fund for non-performing asset disposition, including litigation resolution, enforcement facilitation, bankruptcy proceedings coordination, and mass incident resolution, etc.
- Tax Planning & Asset-Holding Structure Establishment
- Provided regular legal advisory services to a Singapore-based company, covering cross-border structure design, establishment of Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOEs), tax planning, and risk incident settlements, etc.
- Provided tax planning services for equity structure adjustments of a securities investment private fund.
- Provided legal services for a trust company in relation to the issuance and ongoing compliance of a series of trust plans..
- Finance, Asset Management & Commercial Dispute Resolution
- Provided legal services for a Singapore-based company in a litigation of contract dispute over work assignment in China.
- Provided legal services for a venture capital private equity fund in a litigation concerning valuation adjustment mechanism (VAM) repurchase dispute .
- Provided legal services for a venture capital private equity fund in an arbitration involving investors’ claims for compensation.
- Financial & Commercial Criminal Compliance
- Provided criminal compliance advisory services for a key personnel of a listed company.
- Provided criminal defense legal services for an individual involved in the Shanghai Tiandihui case.
- Provided legal services for a renowned Shanghai-based family-owned enterprise concerning criminal complaint filing in support of internal rectification.
- Provided criminal legal services for an individual involved in a nationally significant corruption case.
- Government & Investment Platform Services
- Provided legal services for a government-led community development public utility project.
- Provided legal services fora government-affiliated investment platform regarding a regional development project involving foreign investments.
- Provided legal services for a government-affiliated enterprise regarding the settlement of a series of risk incidents related to its investment targets.
Education Background
- School of Law, Tsinghua University (2008-2011, LL.M. in International Law)
- The Hague Academy of International Law (2010, Trainee in International Private Law)
- Sichuan University Law School (2004-2008, LL.B.)
Professional Qualifications
- Bar Admission in P.R. China
- Certified Asset Management Professional by AMA of China
Professional Background
- Worked as Managing Director of an asset management company under a listed company
- Worked as Senior Vice President of an asset management company under a central state-owned enterprise
- Worked as Chairman Assistant of a U.S.-based charitable foundation
- Worked as an Attorney in the Finance Department of a renowned law firm
- Worked as Editor-in-Chief of Tsinghua University Law School’s English journal Tsinghua China Law Review during the pursuit of the LL.M. dgree
