Asia PR News

SHANGHAI, Aug. 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ –

Platform for Continued Growth in Asia

Thelen Reid & Priest LLP announced today the opening of an office in
Shanghai to support the firm’s growth opportunities in China and throughout
Asia.

"We are very pleased that the Ministry of Justice approved our application
to open an office in Shanghai," said Thelen Reid chairman Stephen V. O’Neal.
"The new office will allow us to enhance our services for our clients who are
increasingly expanding their business interests in China and throughout Asia."

Thelen Reid has a long history of providing legal services on a global
basis and, over the past 80 years, has been involved in some of the largest
construction, energy, and infrastructure projects in the world. In addition to
a portfolio of work in various parts of Asia and the Pacific Rim, Thelen Reid
has provided counsel on a wide range of China projects, including a flat-panel
display manufacturing project, mergers and acquisitions in the internet and
e-commerce areas, the Motorola chip factory in Tianjin, the Meizhou Wan power
plant in the Fujian Province, and a cogeneration facility and two thermal power
projects in the Zhejiang Province.

Earlier this year, the team represented Chinese company Winner Group
Limited in closing a significant going-public transaction that was hailed as
"the biggest Chinese reverse merger of the quarter." This client is represented
by the firm’s significant US-China Securities and Corporate Finance Practice.
In April, the firm obtained a multimillion dollar settlement for two of China’s
largest state-run banks and an investment firm in a complex derivative action
before the New York State Supreme Court. The firm has also represented a number
of companies in China-related IP litigation throughout the United States.

Thelen Reid currently has two partners resident in the Shanghai office: Tom
Shoesmith and Meg Utterback. Mr. Shoesmith has spent most of his life involved
in Asia and has lived with his family in Shanghai since 2003. His practice
focuses on corporate business transactions, including mergers and acquisitions,
private equity and venture capital, international joint ventures, foreign
direct investment, and corporate governance.

Meg Utterback studied law at China People’s University in Beijing from
1985-1987 and speaks and reads Mandarin. Her practice is focused on assisting
foreign companies establishing manufacturing facilities in China, and includes
review of real estate and construction contracts as well as advising on labor
and intellectual property issues affecting foreign businesses. Ms. Utterback
also has extensive experience in commercial litigation, construction
litigation, and international commercial arbitration. She has represented
Chinese and foreign clients in litigation in the United States and throughout
Asia, including India and Singapore.

In addition to the two full-time partners in China, business and
telecommunications partners Lou Bevilacqua and Joe Tiano divide their time
between the Washington, DC and Shanghai offices. The firm’s China Practice also
includes partner Bob Nelson in San Francisco, with a focus on foreign
investment, energy, and infrastructure; business and securities associates Jing
Zhang and Qixiang Sun in Washington, DC; Shanghai-born James Wu in the firm’s
Silicon-Valley-based intellectual property practice; and PRC legal consultants
Julian Zou and Qiaozhu Chen in Shanghai. Other partners and associates
throughout the firm contribute their expertise in a range of disciplines to the
firm’s overall China Practice.

"The firm has been preparing itself for the formal launch of its Shanghai
office for more than two years," said Tom Shoesmith, managing partner of the
firm’s Shanghai office. "We are fortunate to already represent many of the most
exciting businesses in the region, and we have a long deal list of
China-related transactions. Officially opening our doors in Shanghai will allow
us to expand our practice here as well as provide a solid platform for the
growth of the firm’s practice throughout Asia."

About Thelen Reid
Thelen Reid & Priest LLP is an international law firm that provides
superior legal services in complex commercial litigation; corporate and capital
markets transactions; project and asset finance; construction; labor and
employment; intellectual property; domestic and international tax; employee
benefits; government affairs; and real estate. Thelen Reid is the recipient of
the CMCP’s Drucilla Stender Ramey Majority-Owned Law Firm Award, which is given
annually to the firm with the strongest commitment to diversity.

SOURCE: Thelen Reid & Priest LLP

NOTE TO EDITORS:
Photos of Thelen Reid’s China team members and new
Shanghai office are available upon request

CONTACT: Kevin Livingston,
National Manager of Public Relations,
+1-415-369-7224, or
klivingston@thelenreid.com, or

Craig Soderstrom,
Chief Marketing Officer,
+1-212-603-2437, or
csoderstrom@thelenreid.com,

both of Thelen Reid & Priest LLP

Web site: http://www.thelenreid.com