Ian Liao is an Of Counsel at GEN Law Firm. Mr Liao is a corporate lawyer with two decades of top-tier global law firm experience advising multinational companies on mergers, equity or asset acquisitions and divestitures, joint ventures, and other cross-border transactions involving various industry sectors, including automobile components, internet, e-commerce, med-tech/med device, specialty materials, new energies, traditional manufacturing, semiconductor, and food and beverage. Mr. Liao also works with management teams of leading multinational companies on various corporate and commercial matters involving their China, US and overseas operations, including working with in-house counsels on the development and implementation of standard corporate documents, forms, and processes, as well as providing regular FCPA, data privacy protection, and compliance training to client’s legal and business personnel.

Mr. Liao has been advising clients on cross-border transactions involving the Greater China region since 1998. In particular, he has had extensive experience in transactions between China and the U.S.. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Liao was a partner with several global law firms such as Jones Day and K&L Gates where he was based in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and California. He also worked in Taiwan as a lawyer for eight years. Mr. Liao was a summer extern for the Federal District Court of Hawaii.

Mr. Liao splits his time in Shanghai, California and North Carolina.

• Advised Kimo on the sale of its shares to Yahoo!; 

• Advised PChome on the sale of its shares to Tom.com;

• Advised CMA CGM on the acquisition of the shares of a Taiwan listed company via tender offer and private sale;

• Advised a Chinese technology company on the sale of its China wholly owned subsidiary, together with its domestic VIE company, to an affiliate of Alibaba;

• Advised a U.S. technology company on the sale of the company, together with its domestic VIE company, to Baidu (Hong Kong) Limited;

• Advised a Chinese recruitment company on investment by a Morgan Stanley affiliated fund and a related buyout of an existing institutional investor;

• Advised the majority shareholder of a Taiwan optical bonding company on the sale of 100% of the company to a French public company for cash and stock;

• Advised a Chinese bus company on a proposed acquisition of Bluebird, a U.S. bus company;

• Advised a U.S. data AI company on a business combination/merger involving a de-SPAC transaction;

• Advised a U.S. defense technology company on a business combination/merger involving a de-SPAC transaction and a PIPE offering;

• Advised a Hong Kong AI solutions company on a business combination/merger involving a U.S. diagnostics technology public company listed on Nasdaq;

• Advised a Singapore tech company on a business combination arising from a de-SPAC transaction, upon the closing of which the company would become a wholly owned subsidiary of a Nasdaq-listed entity;

• Advised a U.S. AI company on a share exchange transaction with certain stockholders of a Nasdaq-listed company to acquire 20% of the public company as a precursor to a reverse merger transaction;

• Advised a U.S. HR/placement company on an M&A transaction involving a Nasdaq company;

• Advised the founder of a Singapore space services company on a technology licensing structure in connection with “Cube Sat” technology;

• Advised a leading U.S. manufacturer of airport safety equipment on the license of its technology and know-how to its joint venture company in China;

• Advised Uni-President Enterprises Corp. on various commercial transactions, including distribution, licensing and JV transactions, involving global companies including Calpis, Meiji, Nestle, Nissin Food, Novartis and Starbucks;

• Advised General Mills on the buy-out of its joint venture partner for the “Haagen Dazs” franchise;

• Advised PChome on its joint venture with eBay in relation to an e-commerce website;

• Advised Johnson Controls on a multi-party green energy joint venture in China.