Yi-Chin Ho

Yi-Chin Ho is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Hughes Hubbard & Reed in the Litigation practice group. She is Co-Chair of the China Practice, Chair of Asia Practice Development and serves on the Firm's Executive Committee. For more than two decades, Yi-Chin’s practice has focused on representing Chinese companies based in the U.S. and abroad in complex high-profile and cross-border cases. She regularly advises CEOs and C-suite executives in high conflict crisis management situations using a keen level of creativity and nimble thinking. She uses multilingual skills and bridges cross-cultural gaps to tackle problems and find solutions for her clients. Due to the global nature of her clients' businesses, Yi-Chin is regularly called upon to remedy multi-jurisdictional conflict situations. This involves navigating how different local laws may impact their businesses as well as managing risk and liability across the globe, ranging from assessing opportunities for business expansion to managing multi-jurisdictional litigation.

Yi-Chin has broad experience counseling organizations spanning from emerging companies to multinational public companies on matters involving antitrust and trade regulation, white collar and government investigations, securities fraud and investigations, class action, intellectual property and complex commercial disputes. She has litigated commercial disputes at all stages including arbitration, meditations, at trial, and at the appellate level including before the California Courts of Appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the California Supreme Court. She is adept at managing global litigation in multiple jurisdictions, working closely with local counsel in bet-the-company high stakes litigation matters.

A native speaker of Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese, Yi-Chin uses her language and bicultural skills to represent Chinese businesses and investors in all aspects of cross-border business expansion plans and execution in investing in the United States, and to assist U.S. companies with foreign direct investment and conducting business in Greater China. 

Yi-Chin is a frequent speaker on legal issues affecting Chinese businesses and has been quoted and interviewed by the Chinese Daily News, World Journal, Taiwan Economic Daily News, in addition to other leading Chinese news and media outlets. 

Yi-Chin’s representative matters include:

• Representation of Chinese investment firm Shenzhen Zehuijin Investment Center (SZIC) in enforcing an arbitration award of approximately $30 million over a breached loan agreement.
• Representing one of the largest Chinese-owned online retailers in multiple arbitrations and mediations with distributors involving allegations of breach of contract and fraud.
• Representing a state-owned Taiwanese bank, in a dispute regarding enforcement of multi-million dollar judgments and post-judgment discovery.
• Representing a Taiwanese bank in OFAC, NYDFS and Federal Reserve Board pending investigations and advising on an independent monitorship arising from a Consent Decree.
• Representing a leading Chinese tire manufacturer in nationwide product liability litigation related to allegedly defective truck tires that cause injury or death to consumers. Kirkland is serving as national managing counsel overseeing all related pending tire litigation in the U.S., coordinating discovery, motion practice and trial strategy. The case is ongoing.
• Representing a major Chinese consumer electronics company in an international arbitration dispute against a South American state regarding a breach of a bilateral trade agreement for expropriation of oil and gas rights.
• Advising a leading Chinese real estate development company in a multi-jurisdiction cross-border litigation and arbitration matter arising from a commercial dispute in excess of US$100 million.
• Represented one of the world’s largest casino gaming and resort conglomerates as lead managing counsel in a high stakes multimillion-dollar white collar criminal litigation matter in Taiwan alleging violations of various banking, securities and foreign exchange control laws. Kirkland secured a final not-guilty verdict for the client.
• Advising a major Chinese gaming conglomerate in multi-jurisdictional cross-border securities class action, commercial litigation and white collar investigations pending in China, Taiwan, and the United States.
• Lead managing counsel on behalf of a leading French multinational group specializing in nuclear power and renewable energy in a confidential investigation pending in Taiwan relating to corruption and bribery allegations under the Government Procurement Code initiated by the Taiwan authorities.
• Advised one of the world’s largest casino gaming and resort conglomerates in its repatriation plans of funds in compliance with relevant Taiwan, Macau and the U.S. anti-money laundering regulations.
• Representing a leading Taiwan-based container shipping company in its response to the U.S. DOJ’s Grand Jury subpoena alleging violation of U.S. antitrust laws.
• Advising a Taiwanese publicly traded aftermarket automotive parts manufacturer with respect to U.S. Custom’s seizure action in connection with potential trademark infringement claims. Advising a major Chinese private equity fund in its dispute with a U.S. partner relating to unfair competition and other commercial tort claims.
• Advising a major Taiwan-based textiles manufacturer in a cross-border multi-jurisdictional commercial dispute against a former business partner.
• Advising a leading Chinese language newspaper in a trademark and intellectual property infringement dispute against a competitor Chinese language social media platform operator. Advising a leading Chinese LED distribution company in defending a multimillion-dollar post-arbitration judgment enforcement proceedings.

Yi-Chin’s other representative matters include:

Antitrust Price Fixing Class Actions and Opt-Out Litigation

• A Taiwanese manufacturer of sheet metal automobile parts in defense of putative antitrust price fixing class actions brought by direct and indirect purchasers in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
• A Taiwanese manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in defense of putative antitrust price fixing class actions brought by direct purchasers in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• A Taiwanese manufacturer of LCD panels in antitrust price fixing class action opt-out litigation.
• Managing counsel on behalf of a Taiwanese manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in coordinating and supervising antitrust price fixing class action litigation and criminal investigations pending in foreign jurisdictions.
• A Japanese electronics company in putative class actions brought by direct and indirect purchasers alleging that capacitor manufacturers engaged in a conspiracy to set prices.
• A Japanese electronics company in a grand jury investigation alleging that battery manufacturers engaged in a conspiracy to set prices.

Predatory Pricing Actions

• A Taiwanese manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in defense of predatory and below cost pricing and antitrust claims filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
• A Taiwanese manufacturer of sheet metal automobile parts against claims of predatory pricing and false advertising in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

White Collar Criminal Investigations

• Lead managing counsel on behalf of one of the world’s largest Chinese-owned developers and casino gaming and resort conglomerates in a high stakes multimillion-dollar white collar criminal litigation matter pending in Taiwan alleging violations of various banking, securities and foreign exchange control laws.
• A Taiwanese electronics manufacturer in a grand jury investigation pertaining to criminal price-fixing allegations.
• A Taiwanese manufacturer of aftermarket auto lights in defense of a criminal indictment for antitrust price fixing allegations by the United States Department of Justice. A Chinese company in a criminal investigation of an international money laundering scheme.

Intellectual Property Litigation and International Trade Commission

• A Chinese manufacturer of windshield wipers in an International Trade Commission investigation, Certain Wiper Blades, Inv. No.337-TA-816.
• A Chinese manufacturer of folding chairs in prosecuting a patent infringement action against a retailer.
• A Taiwanese manufacturer of computer power supplies in a copyright infringement action.
• A sprinkler manufacturer in a trade secret misappropriation action brought by a former supplier. The case was settled after the manufacturer’s dispositive motion was filed.
• An online retailer in an action alleging claims for infringement of patents, unfair competition, and antitrust violations relating to methods and processes of compiling information about consumer products into catalogued databases for online merchants.
• Successful defense of a patent infringement claim on behalf of a large Taiwanese manufacturer of miniature fans.

Class Action Defense

• Lead counsel in defending a multimillion-dollar wage and hour class action filed against the largest circulating Chinese language newspaper.
• Lead counsel in defending a major Chinese grocery distribution chain store in a wage and hour class action.
• Trial counsel to a direct mail fulfillment house in a multimillion-dollar representative class action filed under California's unfair competition law, alleging violations of the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment. The case was dismissed after the retailer’s dispositive motion was filed.

Complex Litigation and Trial Matters

• Advised the world’s largest paper and pulp manufacturer in a favorable resolution in negotiating debt forgiveness with a major U.S. bank.
• Advised a Chinese company in a breach of exclusivity agreement.
• Lead trial counsel representing a bank in a federal district court trial prosecuting claims for multimillion-dollar breach of contract and breach of indemnification claims against an ATM manufacturer and service provider.
• Lead counsel in defense of a multimillion-dollar shareholder derivative lawsuit against management personnel of a Chinese personal health care products manufacturer alleging claims for breach of fiduciary duty, gross mismanagement, abuse of process and conversion.
• Successful defense of a defamation lawsuit brought against a major Chinese newspaper agency on an Anti-SLAPP Motion upholding neutral reporting of press conference privilege; the case was affirmed on appeal on issue of first impression before the California Court of Appeal.
• Trial counsel to a biotech company in connection with an action filed against the State of California; the case was settled following bench trial.

General Counseling and Compliance Matters

• Advising companies from a broad array of industries in connection with internal investigations regarding anticorruption law violations, antitrust law issues, securities fraud, breaches of business ethics and internal control issues.
• Advising publicly-traded companies’ boards of directors, audit committees, and special committees of the board, with regard to securities disclosure and accounting concerns and other compliance, enforcement or regulatory matters.
• On behalf of Chinese and Taiwanese companies, managing and overseeing local counsel in multiple foreign jurisdictions directing legal and litigation strategy in coordination and working closely with company senior executives to align with business strategies and vision.
• Responding to Chinese and Taiwanese Government Investigations
• Advising companies in response to Chinese government authorities’ questions and investigations relating to commercial bribery, unfair competition and antitrust issues.