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  • Lefan GONG

    Equity Partner / Shanghai

  • Tel +86-21-6061-3666

    Email lefangong@zhonglun.com

  • Practices

    Private Equity & Investment Funds, Taxation & Wealth Planning, Compliance & Investigation

  • Industries

    Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences

CV

Lefan GONG

Focusing on Private Equity & Investment Funds, Taxation & Wealth Planning, Compliance & Investigation, Mr. Gong helps companies with a high success rate from investment and financing, M&A to corporate compliance and risk control, combined with wealth planning and risk segregation for beneficial owners and entrepreneurs. The clients served by Mr. Gong include multinational corporations, financial institutions, pharmaceutical and large health companies, high-tech and high-end manufacturing industries, as well as individual entrepreneurs and family offices.
Mr. Gong is dual licensed in China and New York State and has over 20 years of experience practicing M&A, investment and wealth planning law, including the IFLR M&A Lawyer of the Year (2020) by the International Financial Law Review, the Outstanding Recommended Lawyer by Chambers Europe, The Legal 500, and He has also been awarded the "Outstanding Author Award" by CITIC Press and the "Top Ten Influential People in China's Rule of Law" in 2018.

Representative Matters

Private Equity and M&A

  • Advised Goldman Sachs on its investment in a large multinational restaurant chain;

  • Advised one of the leading logistics properties companies in China on dozens of M&A and land acquisition matters;

  • Advised Warburg Pincus on its takeover of a large private owned enterprise group in China;

  • Advised a renowned US-based private equity firm on its proposed bid for a largest construction equipment manufacturer in China;

  • Advised FountainVest on its proposed buyout and privatization of Focus Media;

  • Advised Lincoln Electric on a variety of investment and acquisition projects in China;

 

Wealth Management

  • Advised an ultrahigh net worth client in China on designing a cross-border corporate structure and offshore trust;

  • Advised a controlling shareholder of a listed company on family succession planning;

  • Advised a well-known European family office on variety of PRC law related matters;

  • Advised a Hong Kong family office on certain wealth management and estate planning related matters;

  • Delivered speeches to a number of private banks and family offices and provided succession planning related advice to their clients.


Capital Markets

  • Advised Morgan Stanley on its underwriting of Fosun International’s IPO in Hong Kong and US offerings for HK$11.5 billion

  • Advised the insurance arm of General Electric on its USD10 billion IPO in New York;

  • Advised Prudential Insurance on its USD3 billion bond offering

  • Advised MetLife on its USD3 billion bond offering


Honors and Awards

For Individual

Recognized as a “Leading Individual Lawyer” in PRC for M&A by LEGAL 500 and also by CHAMBERS as recommended “Leading Lawyer” for private equity fund practice.

Columnist for the Wealth Management Magazine

Publications

Main Works

“Wealth Management & Succession Planning”, CITIC Press

“Managing the Legal Pitfalls of M&A Transactions in China”(Top Six Reasons for Setting Up a RMB Fund)

“Questions and Issues - Family Trust and Family Wealth Succession”, The Seven Traps of Family Wealth

“Anita Mui Case: Pro and Cons of Trust (I), (II), (III)”

“The Tao of Succession Planning for Family Business (I), (II)”

“The Tao of Family Office (I), (II)”

“No Right Successor? —An Overlooked Succession Path”

“Family Constitution: The Wisdom of Foreseeing the Family’s Future (I), (II)”

“Shareholders Agreement—Resolve the Conflict among Family shareholders”

“Winning the Game Wisely：The Strategy and Risk Control of the Direct Investment for a Family Business”

“Cash Out at High Price: The Right Strategies for Family Business M&A”

“Dance with the Capital：How to Choose the Right Financial Advisor for a Family Business”

“The Harvard Notes：Decoding the Longevity of Family Wealth”

“Managing Your Channel under the PRC Antimonopoly Law”

“Select the Right Forum for Business Disputes in China”

“The Five Biggest Mistakes People Make in Non Disclosure Agreements”

“The Risks of the Deal – Managing M&A Transactions in China”, The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, 2008

“Managing Risks in Chinese M&A Transactions, Asian-Counsel”, 2007

“New Regulations on State-owned Assets Transfer”, China Law & Practice, Oct. 2004

Co-author

Chapter on legal and regulatory aspects in “Launching Your Business in Shanghai”, CCH 2005

“ALI Restatement of the Law Third, Torts: Products Liability (Chinese version)”, China Law Press 2006

“Dawn of the 21st Century: Invest in China, Chapter 29, ‘How to Protect Your Investment in China - the Legal Remedies’”, Global Publishing Co. Inc., 1997

Related

  • Bar Admissions/Professional Qualifications

    People’s Republic of China, New York State

  • Education

    S.J.D. & LL.M., University of Michigan Law School
    LL.M., Fudan University Law School
    LL.B., Zhejiang University Law School

  • Professional Experience

    Partner, Zhong Lun Law Firm, Shanghai
    Associate, Jones Day, Shanghai
    Associate, LeBoeuf Lamb Greene & MacRae L.L.P, New York

  • Languages

    Chinese
    English