Julia Yu
Overview
Julia Yu is a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Hong Kong and a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP (U.S.), focusing her practice on corporate and securities law matters, including going-private, mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions. Prior to joining Kirkland, she was engaged in a wide array of onshore or cross-border syndicated lending and other debt financing transactions, including structured commodity finance, real estate finance, receivables purchase finance, and pre-IPO finance, on behalf of various prestigious bank or fund clients.
Experience
Representative Matters
Warburg Pincus Asia LLC — Advised as International co-counsel for an investor consortium, comprising Warburg Pincus Asia LLC, General Atlantic Singapore Fund Pte. Ltd., Ocean Link Partners Limited, and Mr. Jinbo Yao, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of 58.com, in the take-private of 58.com Inc. (NYSE: WUBA), China’s largest online classifieds marketplace, at a valuation of approximately US$8.7 billion.
Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. — Advised an investor consortium led by Mr. Bizuo (Tony) Liu, the Chief Executive Officer of Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CBMG), certain other senior management members of Cellular Biomedicine, Hillhouse Bio Holdings, L.P. and TF Capital Ranok Ltd. and also including Dangdai International Group Co., Limited and Mission Right Limited in a proposed take private of Cellular Biomedicine, a biopharmaceutical firm engaged in the drug development of immunotherapies for cancer and stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases.
Hammer Capital — Advising Hammer Capital as a member of an investor consortium (one of the other members being Tencent Holdings (HKSE: 700)) in a proposed going private transaction to acquire Bitauto Holdings Limited (NYSE: BITA), as well as the investor consortium in the consequential mandatory general offer for the shares of Yixin Group Limited (HKSE: 2858) pursuant to the chain principle under the Hong Kong Takeovers Code.
Warburg Pincus — Advised Warburg Pincus in the subscription, together with affiliates of 58.com, TPG and certain other investors, of an aggregate of US$230 million in principal amount of convertible notes from Uxin Limited (Nasdaq: UXIN, “Uxin”), the largest used car e-commerce platform in China.
iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. — Advised Ligang Zhang, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of iKang Healthcare Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: KANG) (“iKang”), as a member of the buyer consortium in the US$1.5 billion going private transaction of iKang. iKang is one of the largest providers in China’s fast-growing private preventive healthcare space through its nationwide healthcare services network. Other members of the buyer consortium included affiliates of Yunfeng Capital, Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Boyu Capital.
Kuaishou Technology — Advised Kuaishou, a leading China-based short video sharing and social networking platform, in connection with its $350 million Series D-1 private placement and US$1 billion Series E private placement.
Global Sources Ltd. — Advised Blackstone in connection with its acquisition of Global Sources Ltd., a NASDAQ-listed business-to-business media company and facilitator of trade with Greater China.
Daymon Worldwide Inc. — Advised Bain Capital in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in Daymon Worldwide Inc., a global leader of retail services including private brand development to strategic & branding, sourcing & logistics, retail merchandising services and consumer experience marketing.
Trina Solar Limited — Advised the Special Committee of NYSE-listed Trina Solar Limited in connection with its acquisition by a consortium led by Mr. Jifan Gao, its chairman and CEO, in a “going private” transaction.
Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. — Advised consortium consisting of NYSE-listed Qihoo 360 chairman Zhou Hongyi and other investors in proposed leveraged buyout of Qihoo 360.
iDreamSky Technology Limited — Advised consortium consisting of NASDAQ-listed iDreamSky chairman Michael Xiangyu Chen and other investors in proposed leveraged buyout of iDreamSky.
China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group Limited — Advised NASDAQ-listed CMGE in connection with its acquisition by Orient Securities Company Limited, Changjiang Securities and Beijing HT Capital Investment Management.
Ganji.com — Advised Ganji.com and certain of its shareholders in the sale of an approximately 43% equity stake in Ganji to NYSE-listed 58.com Inc. for a combination of cash and 58.com shares valued at over $1.6 billion.
Vimicro International Corporation — Advised Vimicro International Corporation, a leading video surveillance technology and solution provider in China, in connection with a private placement of shares, valued at approximately US$50 million, to Alpha Spring Limited, a British Virgin Islands company owned by Zongyi Group.
Montage Technology Group Limited — Advised Shanghai Pudong Science and Technology Investment Co., Ltd., a state-owned enterprise under the direct administration of Pudong New Area government of Shanghai, in its US$693 million acquisition of NASDAQ-listed Montage Technology Group Limited, a global fabless provider of analog and mixed-signal semiconductor solutions addressing the home entertainment and cloud computing markets.
Giant Interactive Group Inc. — Advised CDH Investments as a member of a consortium consisting of NYSE-listed Giant Interactive group’s chairman Yuzhu Shi, Baring Private Equity Asia and Hony Capital in connection with the consortium’s acquisition of Giant Interactive in a going-private transaction that values Giant Interactive at US$3 billion. This deal was selected as the “Private Equity Deal of the Year” for 2014 and 2015 by China Business Law Journal and by IFLR.
iSoftStone Holdings Limited — Advised the special committee of NYSE-listed iSoftStone in connection with its acquisition by China Everbright and iSoftStone's chairman and CEO.
AutoNavi Holdings Limited — Advised the independent committee of the board of directors of NASDAQ-listed AutoNavi in connection with its sale to Alibaba Group Holding Limited in a transaction that values AutoNavi at US$1.5 billion.
Vipshop Holdings Limited — Represented NYSE-listed Vipshop Holdings Limited, China's leading discount online retailer for brands, in its US$132.5 million acquisition of a 75% equity interest in Lefeng.com Limited, an online retailer of cosmetics and fashion products, and its US$55.8 million acquisition of a 23% equity interest in China-based cosmetics producer Ovation Entertainment Limited.
UTStarcom Holdings Corp. — Represented UTStarcom Holdings in advising special committee in connection with going private proposal from Shah Capital.
Focus Media Holding Limited — Represented Focus Media Holding Limited in advising the independent committee of the board of directors of Focus Media in a going-private transaction proposed by affiliates of FountainVest Partners, The Carlyle Group, CITIC Capital Partners, CDH Investments, China Everbright Limited, Fosun International Limited and Mr. Jason Nanchun Jiang, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer of Focus Media, and his affiliates. This transaction was named “2013 Private Equity Deal of the Year” by China Law & Practice, “2014 Private Equity Deal of the Year” by IFLR and “2014 Global M&A deal of the Year: China private equity” by The American Lawyer.
7 Days Group Holdings Limited — Represented 7 Days Group Holdings Limited in advising joint sponsors, including the Carlyle Group and Sequoia Capital China and their respective affiliates in connection with their proposal to acquire 7 Days in a going-private transaction.
Tudou Holdings Limited — Represented Tudou Holdings Limited in advising the special committee the board of directors of Tudou in connection with its stock-for-stock merger with Youku Inc. in a deal that combines the top two players in China’s burgeoning online video market. This transaction was named “2012 M&A Deal of the Year” by China Law & Practice.
Prior Experience
King & Wood Mallesons, Shanghai
Banking and Finance, Associate, August 2010–January 2012
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2016Hong KongRegistered Foreign Lawyer
- 2011New York
Languages
- English
- Mandarin
Education
- New York University School of LawLL.M.2010
- Fudan University School of LawLL.B.2009