Mayer Brown JSM expands its tax practice in Beijing with 3 new hires

Mayer Brown JSM, a leading global law firm, has expanded its tax practice with new appointments, including one senior appointment and two other lawyers, all based in the firm’s Beijing office.

Julie Zhang, joining the firm on 1 September 2008, specialises in tax planning and tax implications of a wide range of PRC and international corporate transactions. She will lead the tax practice in China, representing both tax transactions and tax controversy capabilities in China. Joining with Julie are Kevin Wang and Xin Jiang. Both have strong tax capabilities, coupled with solid commercial and mergers and acquisitions backgrounds.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown JSM, Julie spent four years working at a large US-based law firm in Beijing and Hong Kong, where she assisted multinational corporations on tax structuring strategies and offered advice on international taxation to PRC enterprises investing overseas. Prior to that, she worked in Mayer Brown’s Palo Alto office, focusing on tax audits and appeals. Julie has also worked in the tax department of an international law firm in its New York office.

“Mayer Brown JSM has a long and well-established tax practice focusing on contentious tax issues in Hong Kong and in Asia, ” says Elaine Lo, Asia Chair and Senior Partner of Mayer Brown JSM. “The addition of Julie and her team will add further strength to our tax practice in the region. Their extensive tax experience and on-the ground presence will enable us to offer clients a full range of tax services that cater to their specific needs.”

“With globalisation, we see increasing investment activities both in China, US and Europe,” said Kenneth Klein, a firmwide practice leader for Mayer Brown’s Tax Transactions & Planning department. “The expansion of our tax practice in Asia is driven by growing demands in this area. Our dedicated team of tax lawyers in China will be able to assist US, European and Asian companies in addressing tax issues as they invest in China, and will similarly help Chinese companies looking to do business overseas.”

Julie graduated from Foreign Affairs College in Beijing and received her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Stanford Law School. She is a national member of the All-China Youth Federation, and she frequently speaks at conferences in Hong Kong and China on international and PRC taxation.