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Areas of practice
Mr. George Zhao's principal areas of practice include corporate, mergers and acquisitions, foreign investment, private equity financing and securities, environmental law and new energy, infrastructure, regulatory and compliance matters; as well as technology transfers, real estate, mining, energy and resources projects.
Typical transactions Mr. Zhao handles include assisting multinational clients with the establishment of various types of onshore and offshore investment vehicles; asset and equity acquisitions and divestures; cross-border transactions; strategic acquisitions and outbound investment by Chinese enterprises; anti-trust matters; internal investigations and compliance; international trade; and intellectual property protection. Mr. Zhao has advised state-owned and private enterprises with respect to pre-IPO restructuring and financing. He has represented international and domestic companies in many complex investment projects, including the well-known West-East Natural Gas Pipeline Project, and has accumulated extensive experiences and solid skills in many areas and industries.
He has advised multinational clients in a broad range of sectors including aerospace, automobile, biochemical, design and construction, e-commerce, electronics, environmental, infrastructure, information technology, logistics, media and sports, mining and resources, nuclear and renewable energy, oil & natural gas, pharmaceutical, power, real estate, telecommunications and other industries.
Work experience
Mr. George Zhao joined King & Wood Mallesons in 2009. Prior to joining the firm, he worked at a well-known US-based law firm. Mr. Zhao also worked at the Washington DC office of another U.S. law firm on U.S. securities, capital market and financial services and at Baker & McKenzie Hong Kong office focusing on corporate, infrastructure and China-related matters. Aside from his experiences at premier international law firms, Mr. Zhao also has in-house counsel experience working at the legal departments of multinational corporations. Prior to his legal career.
Mr. Zhao has lived and worked in the U.S. for over 13 years. His time in the U.S. included working as a research and teaching fellow at Florida International University, Miami, and working at the Legal Department of Rich Products Corporation in New York.
He obtained a B.A. in English at Shandong Normal University and an M.A. in American Studies at Shandong University. He then received his M.A. in International Studies and Ph.D. in International Law from Florida International University. He attained his J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Mr. Zhao is admitted to the bars of New York, Maryland and Washington, DC.
Mr. Zhao is proficient in English and Mandarin.
