In December 2024, LEGALBAND, an internationally renowned legal rating agency, announced its " China Top 15 Lawyers State-Invested and State-Owned Enterprises" list for 2024. Llinks Partner Mr. Kyle Zhao was honored on this list in recognition of his extensive industry experience, outstanding professional performance, and excellent reputation in the field.
Kyle Zhao, Partner
Mr. Kyle Zhao graduated from the Law School at Fudan University with a Bachelor of Laws degree and joined Llinks Law Offices in 2011. He is currently a partner at Llinks, focusing on corporate legal services, private equity investment funds, real estate/real estate funds, and mergers and acquisitions.
In the area of corporate legal services for state-owned capital and enterprises, Mr. Kyle Zhao has long provided daily legal services for the routine operations, compliance construction, and project investments of numerous central enterprises and local state-owned capital entities.
In the field of private equity investment funds, Mr. Kyle Zhao has provided legal services for the establishment and fundraising of private equity funds with a combined scale of over RMB 20 billion for numerous fund managers, government-guided funds, fund of funds, insurance capital, and financial institutions. He has also represented many private equity funds in their domestic and international investments, acquisitions, and sales of various enterprises. Additionally, he serves as the standing legal advisor for several fund managers, handling compliance, post-investment management, information disclosure, investor coordination, and cooperation with regulatory inspections.
In the real estate and real estate fund sector, Mr. Kyle Zhao has provided legal services for real estate investment institutions and enterprises, including mergers and acquisitions of real estate projects, land bidding, joint development, construction and operation, and the establishment and investment of real estate funds.
Mr. Kyle Zhao was previously selected for LEGALBAND's "Top 30 Rising Stars in China's Legal Community" in 2017, named a "Rising Star in M&A" in China by The legal 500 in 2021, listed on LEGALBAND's "Top 15 Rising Partners" list in 2023, and honored on the "40 Under 40 Elite" list in Greater China by LexisNexis in 2024.
Reasons for Selection
The practice of Mr. Kyle Zhao covers corporate/commercial, M&A, private equity investment/venture capital, and real estate/real estate funds. He has long served well-known domestic central enterprises, local state-owned enterprises, and state-owned financial institutions, including Shanghai Electric, SAIC Motor, Jinjiang Group, Jinqiao Group, Lingang Group, China Everbright Group, CITIC Group, Baosteel Group, and COFCO Capital. Mr. Kyle Zhao has a profound understanding of the compliance supervision, risk control, and procedural requirements, focuses, and standards in the operations, management, and investment and financing of state-owned capital and enterprises.
In a project with global technological leadership and significant national strategic value but unclear commercial prospects, Mr. Kyle Zhao fully utilized his professional strengths and practical experience to provide comprehensive legal support for a well-known central enterprise, including legal due diligence, transaction structure design, and negotiation and signing of transaction documents. He helped the client fully grasp and balance the legal and commercial risks of the project, ensuring the smooth implementation of the transaction and safeguarding the mission of state-owned capital and enterprises to serve national strategic development. His strong legal expertise and risk control capabilities have been highly praised by clients.
Client Testimonial
"During our collaboration with Llinks Partner Mr. Kyle Zhao , he demonstrated exceptional legal professionalism and outstanding professional ethics. We are committed to maintaining a long-term partnership with him."
The 2024 " China Top 15 Lawyers State-Invested and State-Owned Enterprises" list was developed through extensive research of recommendations from law firms, self-nominations from lawyers and client feedback. LEGALBAND's China-based research team, with its long-term focus on and insights into the state-owned capital and enterprise sector, ultimately selected the 15 most recommended lawyers in this field in Mainland China.
