News + Events
Attorney Joins Troutman Sanders Mergers, Acquisitions & Business Ventures Practice Group in Shanghai
April 1, 2010
Shanghai – The law firm of Troutman Sanders LLP is pleased to announce the addition of Richard Grams as a partner in its Mergers, Acquisition & Business Ventures practice group, bolstering the presence of the M&A group firm-wide and particularly in Shanghai.
“Richard is a corporate partner who specializes in helping overseas clients acquire, establish and finance businesses in mainland China and Hong Kong. He also has a very strong corporate finance background prior to entering the legal profession," said Edward Epstein, Troutman Sanders' Shanghai managing partner. "We are excited to add him to our M&A practice and expect to develop significant additional work with his joining the firm."
The addition of Grams boosts Troutman Sanders’ presence in China to 30 attorneys. The firm opened its Hong Kong office in 1997 and expanded into Shanghai in 2007.
“Troutman Sanders has been advising clients in China for many years, where the firm has an excellent reputation and a team that is second to none,” said Grams. “The firm’s commitment to developing its practice in China and across Asia is a huge draw and I am very pleased to be joining the firm in Shanghai.”
Prior to joining Troutman Sanders, Grams was head of Stephenson Harwood’s China practice from 2006 to the present, where he became the China co-counsel of choice for a number of U.S., Canadian and UK law firms.
Overall, Grams handles broad-based foreign direct investment, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, private equity and commercial matters in Greater China, and has been instrumental in establishing more than 200 corporate operations in the country.
Specifically, Grams has represented a wide range of publicly held and privately held clients investing in and doing business in China. He has managed greater China legal affairs for a diverse range of clients on projects involving licensing agreements, labour issues and data protection in jurisdictions including England, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.
He has a broad range of experience handling foreign direct investment projects, including start-up businesses, reorganisations/acquisitions of existing business operations, private equity-funded acquisitions and overseas listings. Recent transactions on which he has advised include acting for aerospace manufacturers, medical technology and pharmaceutical companies entering the China market.
Grams also does private equity transactional work, assisting clients with early stage and downstream investments through to IPO exits.
He also has experience advising private equity funds targeting companies in the alternative energy, media, financial services, consumer and industrial sectors in China and Hong Kong. Recently, he advised a Hong Kong-listed PRC waste management business in relation to US$200 million investment by the Carlyle Group.
Grams routinely serves as China co-counsel to overseas attorneys on a broad range of commercial transactions and operations-related legal issues that typically arise in relation to foreign direct investment in China, including product distribution, technology licensing and transfer, sourcing, contract
manufacturing, competitive practices, customs compliance and ethical business practices in China. He also advises overseas clients in the financial services industry on Hong Kong regulatory matters.
He has been widely published on numerous China-related legal issues in publications, including Asian Legal Business, Tradelink magazine, Straits Lawyer and the Financial Post.
Prior to joining Stephenson Harwood, Grams practiced with several leading international and local Hong Kong law firms in Hong Kong and Beijing. He had previously worked in-house with Mobil Oil in Hong Kong and with private equity providers and financial printers in Calgary, Hong Kong and Taipei.
Grams received a B.A. in Canada and later graduated with a First Class Honors in law (LLB) from the University of Hong Kong before being admitted to practice in Hong Kong and England. He has also received professional training at Cambridge University. He is a native English speaker and speaks Mandarin Chinese.
About Troutman Sanders:
Troutman Sanders LLP is an international law firm with over 650 lawyers and 16 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Founded in 1897, the firm’s lawyers provide counsel and advice in practically every aspect of civil and commercial law related to the firm’s core practice areas: Corporate, Finance, Litigation, Public Law and Real Estate. Firm clients range from multinational corporations to individual entrepreneurs, federal and state agencies to foreign governments, and non-profit organizations to businesses representing nearly every sector and industry. See www.troutmansanders.com for more information.
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