Bank financing

We have extensive experience in domestic and foreign bank financing projects. By participating in a large number of benchmark projects and maintaining good and close cooperation relationships with renowned business banks and investments banks at home and abroad, we're able to constantly maintain a leading position in the midst of rapid development of banking and finance legal services. We have extensive knowledge of laws and business in China as well as internationalized experience, high-level linguistic competency, rich practice experience and outstanding ability of solving complex issues, ensuring us to provide comprehensive legal services for clients in this field. Our services mainly include:

• assisting clients in establishing financing framework, and providing legal advice for clients regarding issues during financing;
• drafting, modifying or reviewing financing documents such as credit contracts and various guarantee contracts;
• conducting due diligence at relevant government authorities on behalf of clients;
• reviewing or helping clients apply and obtain approvals, records and/or registrations with or from relevant government authorities regarding financing and guarantee documents;
• issuing Chinese legal opinion in relation to the entire financing project.

Project financing

On the basis of practice, our project financing legal team has extensive experience, providing wide-ranging services. Since the provision of legal services for the first power plant project and the first nuclear power plant project that successfully obtained overseas financing in China, we've been providing legal services for many significant infrastructure projects across China, which cover power plants, water plants, refineries, expressways, mines, ports, as well as modern agriculture, clean energy, new materials, energy conservation & environmental protection, transportation, urban construction, township planning, among others.

 

The GLO team is proficient in dealing with common project financing methods, including bank loans, finance leasing and general contractor disbursement, and provides comprehensive and complete legal services in mortgage and guarantee, asset valuation and actual value, finance leasing transaction arrangement, etc.

• designing financing structure;
• conducting legal due diligence on project, developer and other relevant parties;
• participating in negotiation and drafting, review and modifying contractual documents;
• helping clients go through various formalities, including various government approvals, licenses and registrations;
• providing legal advice and issuing legal opinions.

Acquisition financing

With extensive experience in financing, acquisition, regulation, compliance, among other fields, we provide professional services for trading parties in acquisition financing, and participate in the solution of possible complex legal issues from different perspectives.

 

We have completed a number of influential acquisition financing projects in the industry, involving a range of industries such as chemical engineering, natural resources, energy, internet, dairy, fire control and real estate, and demonstrated good performance in control acquisition, China general stock privatization, among others. Our clients include Chinese and foreign-invested financial institutions providing funds to acquisition transactions on the one hand, and domestic and foreign companies seeking funds from financial institutions to complete acquisition transactions on the other hand.

• designing financing structure;
• conducting legal due diligence on target company;
• participating in negotiation and drafting, review and modifying contractual documents;
• helping clients go through various formalities, including various government approvals, licenses and registrations;
• providing legal advice and issuing legal opinions.

Real estate financing

On the basis of extensive experience in real estate investment, our real estate financing legal team has gained profound insight into real estate financing field and provides comprehensive financing services for banking and real estate development clients. We have completed a large number of real estate financing projects for financial institutions such as DBS, HSB, HSBC, UOB, ICBC Asia, CCB, China CITIC Bank, and real estate companies including Shui On Group and Nan Fung Group, etc. Our projects are involving real estate development loan financing, operational property loan financing, logistics & warehouse development loan financing, real estate acquisition loan financing, among others.

• The GLO team provides services in real estate financing field, including but not limited to:
• providing preliminary legal advice for real estate financing projects;
• helping financial institutions conduct legal due diligence in relation to borrowers, guarantees obligors and relevant assets;
• providing consultation and suggestions regarding various trading arrangements related to real estate financing projects;
• participating in various negotiations related to real estate financing projects;
• drafting, reviewing and modifying various financing documents related to real estate financing projects;
• helping go through various guarantee registration formalities including mortgage on real estate, pledge of receivables, pledge of equity, offshore financing against domestic guarantee, etc.;
• helping financial institutions collect various withdrawal conditions precedent;
• providing compliance consultation for real estate financing projects;
• providing legal advice regarding PRC laws related to overseas financing in domestic and foreign linked real estate financing projects, including drafting, reviewing, modifying guarantee documents governed by the PRC laws; and
• issuing legal opinions in relation to real estate financing projects.

Trust investment and financing

Our trust financing legal team has been deeply engaged in trust investment and financing since the implementation of the Trust Law of the People's Republic of China, and has extensive experience in this field and provides wide-ranging services. Since the provision of legal services for the RMB13.25 billion creditor's assets trust layered disposal project of China Huarong Asset Management, the first onshore quasi-asset securitization project in China based on early establishment of domestic trust system, we have provided more than 400 trust projects for a large number of trust companies, including CITIC Trust, Beijing Trust, Zhongrong Trust, China Everbright Trust, Huaneng Guicheng Trust, National Trust, SDIC Taikang Trust, Jingu Trust, Daye Trust, China Minsheng Trust and China Credit Trust, involving money trust, property right trust, family trust, charity trust, etc. and covering industries including real estate (including real estate level I development, level II development, etc.), urban infrastructure, urban upgrade, expressway, mining, collective land transfer, endowment health consumption, film and TV media, financial services, healthcare, among others.

 

On the basis of regular trust financing methods, the GLO team is proficient in dealing with various complex trust investment and financing projects, and provide comprehensive and complete legal services in the establishment, operation and withdrawal of trust investment and financing projects.

• providing preliminary legal advice for trust projects, designing various feasible trust investment and financing plans with consideration of demands of all parties;
• conducting legal due diligence on counterparties and relevant assets related to trust projects;
• providing consultation and suggestions for various trading arrangements related to trust projects, including legal risk assessment;
• participating in various negotiations and business communications related to trust projects;
• drafting, reviewing and modifying various trust legal documents and transaction documents related to trust projects;
• helping go through various formalities, including various government approvals, licenses and registrations;
• providing legal consulting opinions regarding various matters identified during operation of trust projects;
• providing legal opinions regarding withdrawal of trust projects and drafting, reviewing, modifying various withdrawal arrangement documents;
• providing other legal advice and issuing legal opinions.

Finance leasing

As one of the first law firms in China providing legal services for domestic and foreign finance and financial leasing companies, our specialised legal team has been constantly engaged in legal research and practice in finance leasing industry since the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBRC) promulgated the Administrative Measures for Financial Leasing Companies in 2007, and we have accumulated extensive legal services practical experience in this specific area. Our clients include dozens of renowned financial and finance lease companies including Huaxia Financial Leasing, CCB Financial Leasing, Industrial Bank Financial Leasing, Minsheng Financial Leasing, ICBC Leasing, CMB Financial Leasing, Taiping Sinopec Financial Leasing, China Foreign Trade Financial Leasing, China Universal Leasing, CGN Financial Leasing, Tianxin Leasing, Fenghui Leasing and SFSL. Among others. We have provided legal consulting opinions for Caterpillar and ST Kinetics under Temasek regarding legal issues related to the establishment of finance lease companies in China, and provided legal advice to Huaxia Financial Leasing and Sany Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. regarding cross-border finance releasing projects and proposed finance leasing services outside China. So far, we have completed hundreds of domestic and cross-border finance leasing projects involving aircraft, ships, large equipment and infrastructure, auto finance leasing regarding business vehicles and passenger cars, and new energy fields including PV power generation and wind power, participated in dozens of asset securitization projects and commercial factoring projects of finance lease assets, provided legal services for dozens of domestic and overseas bond issuance, M&A projects in finance leasing field, undertook numerous litigation and arbitration cases, participated in several tenant and/or guarantor bankruptcy liquidation cases on behalf of finance lease companies, created a large number of finance leasing trading models, involving aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, equipment manufacturing, nuclear power, metallurgy, power supply, healthcare, aviation, railway, metro, expressway, urban public transportation, among others. Finance leasing business models include direct lease, leaseback, leveraged lease, manufacturer lease, factoring, EPC project, joint lease and PPP project. The contract texts of many projects in which we participated have become templates used by a range of finance leasing companies. We set a precedent of finance leasing business in fields such as metro, expressway, underground air defence project, EPC/BT/BOT and PPP, taking a significantly leading position among peers in China.

 

The GLO team is well-known for its proficiency in dealing with various complex finance leasing projects in finance leasing legal services, and provides comprehensive and complete legal services in all processes of finance leasing transactions. We provide services in finance leasing field, including but not limited to:

• providing consultation services regarding legal issues identified by finance lease companies in daily business and management process;
• helping finance lease companies conduct legal due diligence on tenants, guarantors and assets, and issuing written due diligence reports;
• designing various feasible finance leasing transaction plans with consideration of demands of all parties according to different finance leasing projects, and drafting, formulating, revising contract texts;
• issuing written legal memorandums or legal opinions in relation to legal issues identified during finance leasing business;
• attending meetings regarding significant business negotiations or significant businesses of the finance lease companies, providing legal advice and suggestions;
• providing compliance opinions regarding operations of the company according to demands of the finance lease company;
• regularly providing relevant laws, regulations, news, and providing knowledge trainings in relation to laws and finance leasing, commercial factoring, etc. according to company demands.

Ship financing

As one of the most leading Chinese law firms in the field of cross-border ship financing legal services, we have a specialised ship financing business team, which has accumulated extensive and rich experience in the field of ship financing by helping clients complete a large number of ship financing transactions involving ship transaction, pledge, bare charter, time charter, sale & leaseback, backup lease, repo agreement, exclusive sale agreement and equity transfer, among others.

 

Our ship financing business clients mainly include domestic and foreign renowned banks, leasing companies and other financial institutions and ship manufacturing companies. We provide ship financing legal services for clients, including:

• providing preliminary legal advice for projects;
• helping clients design financing structure;
• helping clients carry out business negotiations;
• drafting, reviewing, modifying relevant financing documents;
• helping obtain registration or filing related to shipping finance; and
• issuing the PRC legal opinions in relation to ship financing transactions.

Aircraft financing

We came as the first law firm to provide aviation and aerospace legal services in China. We have a specialised aircraft financing and leasing business team, which has accumulated wide and rich experience in this specific area by helping clients complete a large number of aircraft operational leasing, finance leasing and leaseback transactions.

Our aviation business clients include airports, airlines, banks and finance leasing and other financial institutions, producers and suppliers of aircraft, materials, equipment and aviation fuel, and airport infrastructure builders, among others. Our aviation business also extends to corporate business jet transactions, providing whole-journey legal services for clients regarding purchase of business jets and relevant financing.

 

We provide aviation legal services for clients which include helping deal with procurement, lease and finance of relevant aircraft, motor, equipment and aviation materials, aviation and aerospace insurance, and include helping go through application formalities of flight rights and licenses, aircraft production and maintenance agreements, airport planning, infrastructure construction and operation, code sharing agreements, satellite launch and communication, etc.

The GLO team provides services in aircraft financing/leasing, including but not limited to:

• providing preliminary legal advice for projects;
• designing trading structure for clients;
• representing and helping clients participate in various negotiations;
• drafting, reviewing and modifying trading documents;
• helping obtain filings, registrations, etc. with government authorities related to projects; and
• issuing legal opinions.

Trade financing

We come as a leading law firm in the field of trade financing legal services in China. We have a specialised trade financing legal team, which has accumulated extensive trade financing business service experience by helping clients complete a large number of transactions such as letter of credit, documentary credit, factoring, forfaiting, export & import credit insurance under relevant trade financing.

 

Our trade financing business clients include a large number of large banks, insurance companies, other non-bank financial institutions active in this field at home and abroad, and also include large transnational groups, state-owned enterprises, private manufacturing companies, etc. In addition, our trade financing business extends to supply chain finance.

We provide trade financing legal business for clients, which includes helping deal with structural design, legality and compliance demonstration, legal document drafting, project delivering of various transactions under relevant trade financing. Given that we have a specialised team in domestic and overseas litigation and arbitration, we can also provide dispute resolution legal services regarding various disputes under trade financing for clients.

The GLO team provides services in trade financing field, including but not limited to:

• providing preliminary legal advice for projects;
• designing trading structure for clients;
• representing and helping clients participate in various negotiations;
• drafting, reviewing and modifying trading documents;
• helping obtain filings, registrations, etc. with government authorities related to trade financing;
• issuing legal opinions.
• Dispute Resolution.

Media's Evaluation

One client said, "The level of service from Universal Law Firm is excellent. They are responsive and timely." He also praised the firm as "a very good firm and a large, comprehensive firm with good all-around service capabilities."

——Chambers-Greater China Region 2023

 

Awards & Rankings

Awards

• 2024, Nominated in Asia Legal Awards 2024: Banking & Finance Firm of the Year, American Lawyer Media (ALM)
• 2024, Nominated in Asia Legal Awards 2024: ESG Deal of the Year - Egypt's Debut Sustainable Panda Bonds Issuance, American Lawyer Media (ALM)
• 2024, Nominated in Asia Legal Awards 2024: Finance Deal of the Year - Project Financing for Indonesia's Batang Toru Hydroelectric Power Plant, American Lawyer Media (ALM)
• 2022-2024, Nominated in China Law Awards - Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year, LEGALBAND
• 2023, Nominated in Asia Legal Awards 2023: ESG Deal of the Year -$148 million ESG-linked syndicated loan, American Lawyer Media (ALM)
• 2022, Nominated in Regional Impact Deals: Beijing - Banking and finance - The Export-Import Bank of China's RMB970 million supply chain re-factoring financing, IFLR1000 China
• 2021-2023, Nominated in Team of the Year - Banking and Finance, IFLR1000 China
• 2014-2015, 2017-2024, Nominated in Banking Law Firm of the Year in several years, Asian Legal Business
• 2022-2023, Nominated in Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year: East China - Non-local, Asian Legal Business
• 2022-2023, Nominated in Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year: South China & Central China - Non-local, Asian Legal Business
• 2021, Nominated in Banking & Finance Law Firm of the Year: The Coastal Areas - Non-local, Asian Legal Business
• 2023, Firms of The Year: China – Banking & Finance, China Law & Practice
• 2015-2016, 2018-2023, China Business Law Awards: Banking & Finance, China Business Law Journal
• 2015-2016, 2020 China Business Law Awards: Structured finance & Securitization, China Business Law Journal

Rankings

• 2022-2024, Band 1 Law Firm in Banking and Finance, Chambers and Partners Greater China Region
• 2012-2021, Band 1 Law Firm in Banking and Finance, Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific
• 2019-2024, Band 1 Law Firm in Banking and Finance, Chambers and Partners Global
• 2008-2011, Highly Recommended Firm in Banking and Finance, Chambers and Partners Asia Pacific
• 2019-2023, Top-tier firm in Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• 2017-2018, Recommended firm in Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• 2011-2016, Top-tier firm in Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• 2001-2010, Top-tier firm in Banking and Finance, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• 2022-2024, Outstanding firm in Banking and finance, asialaw
• 2022-2024, Highly Recommended firm in Banking and financial services, asialaw
• 2015-2021, Top-tier firm in Banking and Finance, asialaw
• 2019-2021, Recommended firm in Banking and financial services, asialaw
• 2015-2024, IFLR1000 Recommended firm in Banking and Finance, IFLR1000
• 2022-2024, Recommended firm in Banking and Finance (Beijing & Shanghai), IFLR1000 China
• 2015-2024, Top-tier firm in Banking and Finance, LEGALBAND
• 2004-2011, Highly Recommended Law Firm in Banking and Finance, Asian Legal Busines