Atlanta-based law firm Morris, Manning & Martin LLP is one of 25 firms approved to handle cases for China at the World Trade Organization.
The firm, which has offices in Beijing and Taipei, Taiwan, announced Oct. 28 that it is one of only 15 non-Chinese firms selected for a two-year term on a special panel assembled by China’s Ministry of Commerce.
Morris, Manning has worked often with Chinese companies facing patent issues related to their investments in the United States. In 2009, the firm represented Chinese electrical parts manufacturer General Protecht Group in patent disputes over its sales in the U.S. The following year, the firm represented a Chinese auto parts maker in an $80 million initial public offering.
Tim Tingkang Xia, a partner in the firm’s intellectual property practice, also represented Ralls Corp., a company owned by executives of heavy equipment giant Sany Group, in its recent failed lawsuit against President Obama. Ralls filed suit after the president cited national security concerns in blocking the firm’s move to put a wind farm on land it owns near a military base in Oregon.
Morris, Manning was also the only American firm to co-host of a 2008 conference with the Ministry of Commerce aimed at educating Chinese companies on how to operate within the American legal system.
