Published : 9 years ago, on 08/01/2016

Former Baker & McKenzie Principal Michelle Gon joins MWE Team  to Meet Growing Client Demand

McDermott Will & Emery announced today that it has appointed distinguished Chinese regulatory compliance attorney, Michelle Y. L. Gon as a capital partner in its White-Collar & Securities Defense practice. Ms. Gon will work on the premises of McDermott’s strategic ally, MWE China Law Offices, in Shanghai.

Formerly a principal at Baker & McKenzie, Ms. Gon will join the premiere regulatory and corporate compliance team in China. Ms. Gon, who is widely recognized as one of the most experienced and well respected regulatory and compliance lawyers in China, is joining a team with particular focus on anti-corruption, anti-competition, anti-monopoly and anti-fraud areas.

In 2014, the MWE China team stood out amid fierce competition from the world’s top law firms as it was named the inaugural “Regulatory and Compliance Firm of the Year” at the 2014 ALB China Law Awards.

Similarly, Ms. Gon has earned numerous accolades across Asia. She was named one of the Top 30 lawyers in China and one of the Top 100 lawyers in the Asia Pacific Region by Asian Legal Business.  She was named by Chambers Asia as Leading Lawyer (Life Science – International Firms, China) in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.  She is also well regarded among multinationals operating in China, who seek her counsel on a broad range of complex matters.

McDermott’s strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices is unique. As a PRC-licensed firm, MWE China’s lawyers are permitted to maintain their Chinese law licenses, allowing them to communicate with Chinese government agencies on legal issues, collect evidence, and represent clients in Chinese courts and before Chinese regulatory bodies. McDermott and MWE China Law Offices each possess deep knowledge of both U.S. and China law. Working on both sides of the Pacific, the firms’ lawyers are able to work across numerous practice areas according to their respective expertise, including China compliance, FCPA compliance, white-collar defense, criminal, financial, corporate, commercial, private equity, intellectual property, data security and privacy law as well as international arbitration and litigation.

Ms. Gon mainly covers China corporate, investment, distribution, regulatory and compliance from the perspectives of anti-bribery, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-unfair competition, anti-monopoly law and anti-fraud angels.  She is familiar with high-level business problems, having served as a former chief legal officer for a large NYSE- and HKSE-listed high tech company headquartered in China  and also as the international counsel of a large multinational corporation. With her long-term experience doing business in China, she provides practical advice to clients on the complicated legal matters they encounter within and outside the country.

“In recent years, multinational companies and businesses have faced heightened regulatory scrutiny in China,” said Jeffrey E. Stone, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “What began as an anti-corruption drive against companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries has now expanded into a number of areas, including anti-monopoly practices, food safety and environmental protection. In this regulatory climate, we are delighted to welcome Michelle to our already best-in-class team in Shanghai. Together, they will be able to deliver a level of regulatory, compliance and investigative counsel that few, if any, firms can match.”

“Michelle’s arrival will rapidly advance us toward our goal of becoming the premiere firm for Chinese regulatory, compliance and investigative matters,” added John Z. L. Huang, managing partner of MWE China Law Offices. “Michelle and the team will help MWE China to expand and further solidify its leading role in counseling international and domestic companies on their most pressing—and public—corporate crises.” Mr. Huang has received numerous prestigious legal awards, including the State Council Subsidy award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of China’s legal profession.

Ms. Gon graduated from National Taiwan University with an LL.B., from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with an MC.L., and from Case Western Reserve University with a J.D.  She was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois in 1986.  She lectures from time to time at Tsing-Hua University’s renowned international EMBA programs, including TIEMBA on commercial and compliance laws for international transactions.