In July 2024, Guozun Law Firm’s Bangladesh Office was officially established in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. This office is a core strategic node of Guozun’s global legal service system in the South Asian market, aiming to integrate cross-border legal service standards with Bangladesh’s local legal practice resources, provide full-cycle and full-spectrum professional legal support for market participants engaged in bilateral economic and trade activities between China and Bangladesh, and serve the high-quality development of Belt and Road cooperation between the two countries.
I. Basic Overview of Guozun Bangladesh Office
Service Network Layout
The office is based in Dhaka, the political and economic hub of Bangladesh, while coordinating simultaneously with Chittagong and other major commercial cities nationwide to build a legal service response system covering the entire territory of Bangladesh. It is capable of localized implementation and rapid service response nationwide, with service reach across all regions and industries in Bangladesh.
Core Team Qualifications
The office has established a senior legal team with dual-jurisdiction capabilities in both Chinese and Bangladeshi law, as well as working proficiency in Chinese, English, and Bengali. Core members have been deeply engaged in the Bangladeshi legal market for decades and have participated extensively in nationally significant transactions and legal system development, including reforms of Bangladesh’s financial system, drafting of model documents for independent power projects, LNG terminal construction projects, and the implementation of the country’s first PPP project. The team possesses industry-leading capabilities in transaction execution and full-process risk control.
Practical Experience
The team has extensive practical experience in domestic and international commercial legal services. It has provided full-chain legal services to Fortune 500 companies and top financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, General Electric, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nokia, while also serving major investment projects in Bangladesh for leading Chinese enterprises such as Zhenhua Oil. In the field of commercial law in Bangladesh, the team has mature government-enterprise coordination resources, standardized industry-wide solutions, and full-channel dispute resolution capabilities.
II. Core Scope of Practice
(I) Foreign Direct Investment and Cross-Border M&A Legal Services
Pre-investment: analysis of industry access policies, design of cross-border investment structures, tax planning, legal due diligence on target entities, and investment compliance risk assessment
Investment implementation: foreign investment access approvals, establishment and registration of market entities, drafting and negotiation of joint venture and cooperation documents, verification of land and real estate ownership, and full-process compliance services for entering economic zones and industrial parks
Post-investment and exit: full-process legal services for equity restructuring, asset acquisitions, capital increase and share expansion, management buyouts, delisting, liquidation, and deregistration
(II) Infrastructure, Construction, and PPP Project Legal Services
Full project-cycle services: project bidding and tendering, PPP model design, contract system development, construction compliance management, resolution of schedule and cost disputes, project acceptance and delivery, and settlement of construction payments
Specialized compliance services: public procurement compliance review, compliance management of construction subcontracting, establishment of engineering insurance and guarantee systems, and supporting legal services for infrastructure financing
(III) Banking, Finance, and Capital Markets Legal Services
Financing-related services: full-process services for cross-border financing, project finance, syndicated loans, trade finance, aircraft and vessel lease financing, Islamic finance, and the establishment of guarantee and credit enhancement structures
Compliance-related services: foreign exchange compliance review, regulatory compliance for financial institutions, compliance review of cross-border capital flows, debt restructuring, and disposal of non-performing assets
Capital markets services: legal services related to initial public offerings (IPO), post-listing continuing compliance, bond issuance, private equity, and venture capital
(IV) Full-Chain Intellectual Property Legal Services
Rights confirmation services: registration, renewal, licensing, and transfer of trademarks, patents, industrial designs, and copyrights, as well as recognition and protection of well-known trademarks
Protection services: trade secret and confidentiality system development, IP infringement monitoring, administrative enforcement, civil litigation, and criminal protection actions
Commercialization services: full-process legal services relating to franchising and brand licensing
(V) Corporate, Commercial, and Daily Operational Compliance Legal Services
Basic retainer services: optimization of corporate governance structures, drafting of articles of association and internal systems, compliant operation of boards of directors and shareholders’ meetings, related-party transaction control, and drafting and review of commercial contracts
Specialized compliance services: daily operational compliance for foreign-invested enterprises, industry regulatory compliance, work safety compliance, and development and implementation guidance for environmental compliance systems
(VI) International Trade, Maritime, and Aviation Legal Services
International trade services: drafting and negotiation of international trade contracts, letter of credit compliance, defense in anti-dumping and anti-subsidy proceedings, customs compliance, response to trade sanctions, and handling of cross-border trade disputes
Maritime services: full-process legal services for vessel leasing, financing, and sale, disputes involving carriage of goods by sea, vessel collisions, salvage, maritime preservation, and maritime litigation
Aviation legal services: aircraft leasing, financing, and sale, aviation operations compliance, and supporting legal services related to airport construction
(VII) Energy and Natural Resources Legal Services
Full industry-chain services: full-process legal services for upstream exploration and extraction, midstream storage, transportation and processing, and downstream sales and application in the fields of oil, natural gas, coal, and renewable energy
Specialized services: legal services relating to oil and gas block acquisitions, mining right acquisition and transfer, power project development, clean energy project investment, regulatory compliance and approvals, project finance, and joint venture cooperation
(VIII) Labor and Human Resources Compliance Legal Services
System-building services: drafting and review of labor contracts, employee handbooks and internal policies, compliance of compensation and benefits systems, and development of non-compete and confidentiality agreement frameworks
Daily compliance services: working hours and overtime management, labor union and collective bargaining matters, and compliance guidance for employee dismissal and layoffs
Dispute resolution services: full-process representation in labor dispute mediation, arbitration, and litigation
(IX) Tax, Data Compliance, and Anti-Corruption Compliance Legal Services
Tax compliance services: tax planning, tax compliance review, transfer pricing documentation preparation, advance pricing arrangement applications, response to tax audits, and tax dispute resolution
Data compliance services: development of data security systems, personal information protection, cross-border data flow compliance, privacy policy drafting, and data compliance audits
Anti-corruption compliance services: establishment of anti-corruption, anti-commercial bribery, and anti-money laundering compliance systems, FCPA and global anti-corruption compliance training, internal investigations, and risk response
(X) Dispute Resolution and Bankruptcy/Reorganization Legal Services
Diversified dispute resolution: representation of various commercial entities before courts at all levels in Bangladesh in civil litigation, administrative litigation, and criminal defense matters, as well as international arbitration, domestic arbitration, and mediation before institutions such as the ICC
Types of disputes covered: all categories of commercial disputes, including investment disputes, contract disputes, equity disputes, intellectual property disputes, financial loan disputes, construction disputes, and labor disputes
Supporting services: full-process legal services for corporate bankruptcy reorganization, debt restructuring, liquidation and deregistration, and disposal of non-performing assets
III. Core Service Capabilities and Compliance Assurance
Dual-Jurisdiction Integrated Service Capability
The office deeply bridges the legal systems, regulatory rules, and judicial practices of China and Bangladesh. Its services strictly comply with China’s cross-border investment regulatory requirements while accurately adapting to Bangladesh’s local legal environment and practical conventions, achieving seamless integration between international legal service standards and local implementation.
Full-Cycle Closed-Loop Service System
Focusing on the entire life cycle of cross-border business operations, the office has built a full-process closed-loop service system covering early-stage research and assessment, implementation and establishment, day-to-day operations, dispute handling, and investment exit, and is able to provide customized legal service plans for clients of different industries and scales.
Standardized Quality Control Mechanism
Relying on Guozun’s global standardized legal service system, the office has established a full-process service quality control and dual compliance review mechanism to ensure standardized service procedures, precise professional advice, and comprehensive prevention of legal risks in cross-border business operations.
Global Resource Coordination Network
The office is able to coordinate with Guozun’s offices and partner service networks worldwide to provide cross-border legal services covering South Asia and major global economies, achieving integrated response across regions and jurisdictions.
IV. Background of Establishment
As Belt and Road cooperation between China and Bangladesh continues to deepen and bilateral economic and trade exchanges steadily expand, Bangladesh, as one of the most dynamic economies in South Asia, has become an important market for Chinese enterprises going global by virtue of its significant demographic dividend, broad market potential, and continuously improving business environment. Demand among market participants for professional, compliant, and localized cross-border legal services continues to grow. The establishment of Guozun Bangladesh Office fills a key service-node gap in Guozun’s South Asian market layout and further strengthens its global legal service network.