Areas of Practice

• Chinese Outbound Investment
• Media & Entertainment  
• Joint Ventures and M & A
• Crisis Management

About Jesse

A graduate of the Australian National University (B.Ec. and LL.B) and the Columbia Law School (LL.M).  Jesse has been advising foreign clients on direct investments in China and Chinese clients with outbound activities for more than 30 years.  He is TransAsia’s Managing Partner and has overall responsibility for its international client base.

Specializing in market entry structures, joint ventures and M&A, Jesse is well-known and respected for his strategic thinking, negotiating skills and ability to advise effectively on delicate and complex matters, such as partner selection, shareholder disputes and hostile takeovers. He has extensive and proven experience in advising clients to implement market entry structures in highly regulated sectors in China, such as aviation, Internet and media. For aviation, his clients have included BAE and Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and he has extensively advised Electronic Arts and Amazon in the Internet sector. Jesse's media clients include NBC Universal, Time Warner, John Woo and Lion Rock Productions (“Red Cliff”), and Relativity Media (“Kings of Kungfu”).

Jesse is often called upon to advise on crisis management situations; examples include securing and re-applying for regulatory approvals or appealing against unfavorable rulings, resolving corporate structures in the media and IT sectors as well as resolving complex smuggling and value-added tax invoice cases. Jesse has also represented clients in major arbitration cases before the International Chamber of Commerce, Singapore International Arbitration Centre and several PRC arbitral bodies.

In the past 5 years, Jesse has been actively assisting Chinese clients with their international investments, particularly those in the minerals & resources sector.

Major Publications

• China's Videogame Industry Regulatory Landscape (Niko Partners and TransAsia 2007)
  
• China's Media & Entertainment Law, Vol II (TransAsia 2006)  
• China's Media & Entertainment Law, Vol I (TransAsia 2003)
• China's IT & Telecoms Legislation, Vol III (TransAsia 2003)
• China's IT Policy & Legislation, Vol II (TransAsia 2001)
• China's Internet Policy & Legislation, Vol I (TransAsia 1999)
• A Professional's Guide to PRC Land Legislation (Sweet & Maxwell 1999)
• China Labour & Social Security Law - Essential Facts Explained (CCH 1998)
• "Trademark Law in the People's Republic of China" (Foreign Trade, Investment and the Law in the PRC, Oxford University Press 1984 and 1988)
• "Trade and Investment Law and Practice in the People's Republic of China" (Asian Pacific Regional Trade Law Seminar, Australian Attorney-General's Department 1984) 

Directorships and Awards

• Director (the first non-family member) of Groupe Camus 
• Member of the Sethi International Center for Corporate Accountability (SICCA) (formerly the International Advisory Board of the New York-based International Center for Corporate Accountability)
• “Asia’s Leading Lawyers” in 2002 and 2004 – 2010 (Asia Law & Practice)

Speeches and Conferences

Jesse frequently speaks on outbound investment and crisis management. In addition, he is often invited to speak on PRC investments and law, and has lectured on the subject with students from Chicago University and Purdue University as well as those studying at Tsinghua University's prestigious MBA program. For details please see our News and Events page.

Interests

Jesse is a fitness fanatic and regularly competes in international swimming, running, aquathlon and triathlon events. He was invited to represent Hong Kong (China) at the 2007 World Triathlon Championships and in 2008 won the Asian Aquathlon Championship for his age group.

Key Clients