Our People

Biography

Way back when, in a bold move before virtually anyone other than Napoleon Bonaparte ('when China awakes, the world will tremble') had anticipated the potential, Andrew McGinty, then an undergraduate linguist in search of a new challenge, embarked on a one year exchange program to study Chinese at Fudan University in Shanghai in 1984 that was to change the trajectory of his life; forever. And apart from a five year break to qualify as a lawyer (in England and Hong Kong), he has never left China. That gives him a unique historical perspective as to how far China has progressed and, more importantly, where it is likely to be going. Few, if any foreign lawyers in China have witnessed such a transformation in a single working lifetime. 

He is able to draw on that experience to bring insight to bear where it matters: making sure that his clients get advice that is practical, commercial and placed in its context by someone who has seen pretty much anything in the way of challenges and curve-balls that China can throw at a lawyer. Andrew is  the head of the Corporate practice in Asia. He has spent several years living in Beijing Guangzhou and Hong Kong, but has always seemed to gravitate back to Shanghai where it all started over 30 years ago. Notwithstanding his management responsibilities, Andrew is at his happiest when in the thick of a deal.

He covers a wide waterfront of foreign direct investment, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances as well as regulatory advice in the toughest, most highly regulated sectors, with a focus on the TMT, venture capital, real estate, financial institutions, life sciences and insurance sectors, but has handled just about everything in between. A transplanted Londoner, but proud of his roots as a linguist-turned-lawyer, Andrew works day-to-day in an unusual combination of French, Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish. 
  

Representative experience

• Advising on the sale of 100% of the equity interests in H.C. Starck China to Advent and Carlyle.
• Advising KPMG as the receivers appointed by Danone S.A. in the high profile dispute with Wahaha.
• Advising venture capital arm of leading chipmaker on various venture capital financing investments relating to China.
• Advising household name consumer electronics designer and manufacturer on regulatory issues relating to bringing its key products to the China market.
• Advising ExxonMobil on AML issues in relation to its commercial agreements relating to China.
• Advising leading European-based industrial goods manufacturer on two merger control filings post the AML including drafting the filing documents in conjunction with local counsel.

Awards and rankings

• Leading Individual for Corporate and M&A in China, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2014-2018
• Leading Individual for TMT in China, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2016-2018
• Leading Individual (Band 1) for Real Estate: China-based (International Firms), Chambers Asia Pacific, 2014-2017
• Leading Individual for Corporate/M&A: China-based (International Firms) in China, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2014-2015
• Leading Individual for Real Estate in China, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2014-2017
• Leading Individual for Mergers and Acquisitions in China, IFLR 1000, 2014
• Leading Individual for Competition/Antitrust (International Firms) ub China, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2014
• Leading Individual for Competition in China, IFLR 1000, 2014