“Julia will add depth to our corporate offerings on the West Coast and in China, where she has significant relationships and cross-border transactional experience with companies in the telecommunication, automotive, aviation, health care, pharmaceutical, technology, energy and financial services industries,” said Matthew Petersen, co-chair of the Reed Smith Global Corporate Group. “Julia’s sophisticated, cross-border transactional practice is a perfect fit with Reed Smith’s Global Corporate team.”
Zhu-Morelli’s arrival closely follows that of Moshe J. Kupietzky to the firm’s Century City office, and Julia Boyd earlier this month in New York. Kupietzky was former head of Sidley Austin’s Los Angeles Corporate and Finance Group, and former managing partner of Sidley’s Century City office.
Fluent in both Mandarin and English, Zhu-Morelli advises Chinese and U.S. companies and Chinese funds on various corporate and transactional matters, and provides counsel to U.S. companies involved in strategic business restructuring and establishing Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise structures (WFOEs) or joint ventures with companies based in China. Previously, she served as an Ambassador of Investment Promotion and Trade Representative for Jiangsu Province, and assisted the government of Jiangsu with various investment projects.
“Reed Smith’s leadership is committed to serving clients in Asia, including Chinese companies. I represent a lot of state-owned and public Chinese companies that are investing in the United States and Europe,” said Zhu-Morelli. “A global platform is essential to handling the sophisticated matters that my clients pursue, and Reed Smith has demonstrated for years that it is dedicated and committed to assisting those companies. I look forward to using my experience to continue expanding those relationships and developing new ones.”
Zhu-Morelli received her law degree from Nanjing University, Nanjing, China in 1999, and began her legal career serving as a Nanjing Gulou District Court Judge, presiding over business, civil and criminal cases. She received her J.D. from Brigham Young University in 2005.
In conjunction with Zhu-Morelli, Grace Du, previously with Arent Fox, has joined the firm’s Los Angeles office as an associate with the Complex Litigation Practice Group. Du advises U.S. and international companies on a wide range of litigation matters, including complex business disputes, class actions, contract law, employment law and intellectual property law.
“With the firm’s active cross-border transactional practice and strong foothold in China, Julia and her team will really bolster our capabilities and help us to better assist our clients,” said Lorenzo Gasparetti, Los Angeles Office Managing Partner. “We are thrilled that she and Grace have joined our team in Los Angeles.”
Reed Smith’s Global Corporate Group is a full service practice of more than 300 lawyers.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a dynamic international law firm dedicated to helping clients move their businesses forward. Our belief is that by delivering smarter and more creative legal services, we will not only enrich our clients’ experiences with us, but also support them in achieving their business goals.
Our long-standing relationships, international outlook, and collaborative structure make us the go-to partner for the speedy resolution of complex disputes, transactions, and regulatory matters.
For further information, please visit reedsmith.com.
