Areas of practice
Mr. Zhifeng Chai is a partner in the Antitrust and Competition Division at KWM.
Mr. Zhifeng Chai is a partner in the Antitrust and Competition Division at KWM. Mr. Chai’s main practices include: representing clients in obtaining merger clearance; assisting clients in conducting multi-jurisdictional merger filing assessment and coordinating multi-jurisdictional merger filings; providing strategic advices on transaction structures and implementation plans from the antitrust perspective; advising clients with respect to antitrust compliance on a variety of antitrust issues in connection with clients’ business models, distribution systems, pricing policies etc.; providing antitrust training and internal audit; assisting clients with mock dawn raids; helping clients respond to administrative investigations; assisting clients in private antitrust litigations.
Mr. Chai has provided antitrust legal services to many multinational companies, state-owned enterprises and other domestic enterprises. The cases Mr. Chai has represented cover a wide range of industries including but not limited to real estate, finance, banking, hi-tech, Internet, automobile and auto parts, medicine and medical equipment, consumer goods, trade, telecommunications, chemical and chemical industry, minerals, construction machinery and manufacturing, etc.
Merger review: Mr. Chai has advised many multinational companies, state-owned enterprises and other domestic enterprises of various industries on merger filing. The number of filings Mr. Chai has advised exceeds over 300. Meanwhile, Mr. Chai has assisted multiple clients in multi-jurisdictional merger filing assessment and coordinated multi-jurisdictional merger fillings for clients. Mr. Chai has also helped clients conduct self-assessment on failure to notify and advised clients on failure to notify proceedings.
Antitrust Compliance: Mr. Chai has extensive experiences in antitrust compliance, including counselling many foreign and domestic companies on all areas of antitrust risks in connection with their business arrangements and strategies; providing clients with compliance advises to minimize antitrust risks; assisting clients in antitrust self-audit; providing comprehensive antitrust training that cater to clients’ needs.
Antitrust Investigation: Mr. Chai represented many clients in responding to dawn raids by the antitrust enforcement agencies. Mr. Chai has accumulated vast experiences and insights in administrative investigations, including providing assistance and coordination for clients during the authority’s on-site inspection; advising clients on the overall response strategy; maintaining effective communication with the authority on behalf of the clients; assisting the clients in applying for leniency or the suspension of the investigations; advising clients in implementing targeted rectification measures. Mr. Chai has successfully helped clients mitigate negative impact of administrative investigations and obtain favorable investigatory outcomes including 100% of fine exemption, significant reduction of fine, or no penalty decisions.
In 2022, China Business Law Journal listed Mr. Chai as “Rising Stars”. In 2021, Mr. Chai won the ALB China Regional Law Awards 2021 (Coastal Areas) for “Young Lawyer of the Year”. In 2017, 2020-2023, the Legal 500 listed Mr. Chai as “Next Generation Partners” in antitrust and competition area. In 2018 and 2019, Mr. Chai was listed by the Legal 500 as a recommended lawyer in antitrust and competition area.
Mr. Chai also serves as an external antitrust expert for the market supervision bureaus of several provinces and municipalities.
Work experience
Mr. Chai joined King & Wood Mallesons in 2008. Mr. Chai has a brief stint in t KWM Sydney in 2013.
Mr. Chai holds a Master of Law degree from the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. Mr. Chai was admitted as a Chinese lawyer.
Mr. Chai’s working languages are English and Mandarin.
