Senior Partner
Beijing
China
+861058137019
Notable Practitioner
Chinese
Restructuring and insolvency
Gao Meili, a senior partner of Dentons China headquarters, joined Dentons in 2003. She is now the head of the professional group of bankruptcy reorganization and liquidation of the headquarters, member of the Advisory Committee of Dentons China, member of the International Bankruptcy Law Association, and supervisor of the Beijing Bankruptcy Law Association, member of the 11th Committee of the Beijing Youth Federation, member of the 6th Standing Committee of the Dongcheng District Youth Federation Committee of Beijing. Meili Gao is the author of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council projects, has the qualification of independent director, and serves as the special consultant for the overall risk disposal of some local governments. In 2021, she published the book "Judgment Rules for Bankruptcy Litigation and Legal Practice of Administrator".
Gao Meili has successfully undertaken major bankruptcy reorganization or debt risk resolution cases of listed companies, large state-owned enterprises and groups, and has rich experience in debt risk resolution and bankruptcy field. Due to her outstanding performance in debt reorganization and bankruptcy reorganization, she was selected as the 2018 ALB China Top 15 Female Lawyers, ranked in the "The A – List Legal Elite" list in the Chinese market of the CBLJ in 2020, and was selected as the recommended lawyer for antitrust and competition law, corporate and mergers and acquisitions in the Asia-Pacific region by The Legal 500 2021, and the special recommended lawyer for bankruptcy reorganization and tax in the Asia-Pacific region by The Legal 500 2022, top 15 Chinese lawyers special recommendation list by LEGALBAND.
1. Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication Co., Ltd. Bankruptcy Reorganization
Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication Co., Ltd. (“the Client”), one of the earliest companies engaged in integrated marketing communication in China, is a leading market player in the field of brand management in the country. In 2019, under the penalty imposed by China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”), the Client saw its business plummeted. Moreover, it was warned of the delisting risk in 2020. The First Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing Municipality appointed Dentons China (“Dentons”) as the interim administrator, with attorney Meili GAO’s team in charge of the case.
2. Chongqing Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd. Bankruptcy Reorganization
Chongqing Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd. (“the Client”), a large energy enterprise integrating investment, development, construction, operation and services, was established in 2006, with its registered capital hitting CNY 10 billion. In recent years, due to various factors such as the heavy leftover burden and the lagging industrial transformation, the Client has fallen into debts and business difficulties, causing 16 enterprises including the Client itself to apply for bankruptcy reorganization. In 2022, Chongqing No. 5 Intermediate People’s Court engaged Dentons China (“Dentons”), where attorney Meili GAO’s team works, to provide prepackaged reorganization services for the Client.
3. Henan Yinge Industrial Investment Co., Ltd.Bankruptcy Reorganization
As a star company of the paper industry, the Client was under great pressure from public opinion
As a star listed company once reputed as “No. 1 stock of Chinese straw pulp” and “the living fossil of China’s stock market”, the Client went from good profitability to bankruptcy reorganization within only four years. As a result, the Client was deep down in the whirlpool of public opinion. When it officially declared entering bankruptcy proceedings, some media agencies even joked that the former “Henan Paper King” collapsed. Consequently, both the Client and the bankruptcy administrator were under great pressure of public opinion.
Wide involvement and close attention from the government, investors and shareholders
The total liabilities of the Client exceeded CNY 8 billion, concerning more than 1,000 creditors. In addition, the credits and debts generally involved a long time span. As a freshly delisted company, the Client’s bankruptcy restructuring was closely watched by the securities regulators, financial institutions, institutional investors and shareholders. In addition, the local government also paid special attention to the case and offered support through the “government-court joint action mechanism”.
The production and operation of the Client was maintained to the maximum extent, laying a foundation for its future growth
In the face of pressure from all parties, attorney GAO’s team ingeniously introduced the alpha system and completed the declaration and review of claims efficiently in the utmost speed. Apart from that, in order to maximize the reorganization value of the company and the stability of its staff, attorney GAO arranged for a professional team to supervise and manage the production and operation of the company pursuant to law for the normal operation of the Client. Such efforts have laid a good foundation for the rebirth of the Client after bankruptcy.
