Date: February 11, 2010
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager
Phone:
(612) 492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com
For Immediate Release
Fredrikson & Byron Announces New Head of Shanghai Office and New Shanghai Associate Attorney
Minneapolis, MN February 11, 2010 – – Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. is pleased to announce that E. W. Gentry Sayad has been hired to head the firm’s Shanghai office. Sayad will oversee the Shanghai office and is an active member of the firm’s China Practice Group. Chinese associate Hong-Cheng “Harold” Chen will also join Sayad in Fredrikson’s Shanghai office.
“We are pleased to have Gentry and Harold join our Shanghai office. In particular, Gentry’s experience in Asia adds depth to the firm’s existing team that provides integrated services for clients both in the United States and China,” says John Koneck, firm president. “Our China Practice serves clients looking to grow in the China market, as well as Chinese clients with a desire to invest in the Midwest market.”
E. W. Gentry Sayad is a former member of Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, where he was the managing partner of its Shanghai office. While in that position, he also served as the director of the State of Missouri Department of Economic Development China Trade and Investment Office. According to Koneck, his experience aligns with Fredrikson’s mission of serving as both business advisor and legal counselor to its clients. Sayad has extensive experience advising clients on doing business in China, including government relations, mergers and acquisitions, employment, intellectual property, antitrust, trade and regulatory matters, compliance issues, and investment strategies. His background in litigation and government relations enables him to provide U.S. companies with dispute resolution assistance while in China, as well as guidance for Chinese companies on issues related to U.S. litigation practices and dispute resolution.
Sayad has worked extensively with multinational Fortune 500 companies, public and private companies, and government agencies. He has direct experience with clients in the manufacturing, automotive, investment, and agricultural industries. Sayad is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the International Bar Association, the U.S.-China Business Council, the Missouri Bar and the American Bar Association, and is a frequent author about doing business in China. For more bio info, please see: http://fredlaw.com/bios/attorneys/sayadgentry.
Hong-Cheng “Harold” Chen will join as an associate in the firm’s Shanghai office and as a member of Fredrikson’s China Practice. He focuses his practice on the establishment of business in China, corporate and commercial transactions including mergers and acquisitions, foreign joint ventures, technology law, financings, employment law, real estate law, supply and distribution agreements, and dispute resolution. He has experience working with businesses in a variety of industries. Prior to joining Fredrikson & Byron, Chen practiced law with Armstrong Teasdale LLP, the Cambridge Law Firm of Suzhou, and the Jing Hua Law Firm. He is fluent in Chinese (Mandarin and Wu), English and French.
Fredrikson & Byron is a 240 attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Monterrey, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. We’ve built a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet” by bringing business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to our work with clients, and by operating as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors. The firm’s primary areas of practice include banking, corporate, employment, energy, renewable energy, franchise, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, international, litigation, real estate, securities, and tax. We serve a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses. Fredrikson & Byron’s attorneys also work with individuals on estate planning, family law, and immigration matters. We are the exclusive Minnesota law firm member of the World Services Group, a worldwide network of professional service providers. More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com.