Howard Chao
Partner
Howard Chao is the partner in charge of O'Melveny's Asia Practice. During his 29 years with the Firm he has been engaged in a broad variety of transactional matters. He was responsible for establishing our China offices, and was stationed in our Shanghai office for many years. He is currently engaged in a general corporate practice, with an emphasis on cross-border and Asia matters.
Howard is a recognized authority on China and has extensive experience advising clients on China matters. He has advised clients from many sectors in connection with their investments and operations in Asia. More recently, Howard has been assisting Chinese companies with their outbound investment transactions.
In the United States, Howard has advised clients in connection with a variety of transactional matters, including venture investments, corporate finance, and M&A.
Professional Activities
Admitted to Practice, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
Author, Publications on Chinese law, including articles on finance, investment, property, mergers and acquisitions, foreign exchange, and many other subjects
Co-Author, “China's Turn,”
The Deal (January 12, 2009); “Southeastern Exposure,”
The Deal (January 23, 2009); “Japan's Déjà Vu,”
The Deal (February 9, 2009); “Hong Kong Betwixt and Between,”
The Deal (March 10, 2009); “The Coming Age of the Renminbi,”
The Deal (November 2, 2009)
Honors, Received
Chambers and Partners’ “Outstanding Contributions to the Legal Profession Award” (2009); Sole occupant of
Chambers and Partners’ Band 1 top tier of lawyers engaged in “Deals in Asia”;
Recognized as one of “The 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers,” by
National Law Journal (2008); Named a “Super Lawyer” in a survey conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. and published in
Los Angeles magazine
Member, Business Council, Asia Society; Advisory Board, Asia Society Northern California; Advisory Committee, Berkeley China Initiative; Advisory Board, Shanghai Securities News (Xinhua News Agency)
Languages, Mandarin Chinese; French