Michael Lee

Practice Areas

1. Advisory and Regulatory - Pharmaceutical Regulations and Data Privacy and Protection.

2. Corporate and Licensing.

3. Dispute Resolution (Arbitration).

4. Labor.

5. Real Estate.

Career

Michael, a US-licensed attorney with over 18 years in Vietnam, started as a US trial lawyer before moving to Vietnam in 2007 to join Johnson Stokes and Master (later Mayer Brown). At Mayer Brown’s Ho Chi Minh City office, he focused on corporate and real estate practice areas, advising clients like Adidas, Diageo, Tencent, Gaw Capital, and Kumho E&C. From 2010 to 2017, as a partner and head of Tilleke and Gibbins’ corporate/commercial division in Vietnam, he served clients in manufacturing, pharma, hospitality, and tech, including Fruit of the Loom, Merk Sharp Dohme, Marriott, and Microsoft. Since joining Dilinh in late 2017, he has primarily advised clients in the automotive, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Professional Memberships

1. State Bar of California.

2. State Bar of Texas.

3. Registered foreign lawyer, Vietnam.

4. Member of the Vietnam International Arbitration Center (VIAC) Panel of Arbitrators.

Work Highlights

For Labor:

1. Contentious and/or non-contentious labor advice to prominent MNCs, including Airbus, Alcon, Daimler, Deutsche Bank, Gap, Ipsen, Johnson & Johnson, Jones & Vining, Levi’s, Marriott, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Microsoft, Werner, and Yggdrasil.

2. Advised and negotiated high-profile separation arrangements of executives of prominent MNCs.

3. Conducted compliance and anticorruption training for leading MNC companies in Vietnam.

For Arbitration:

Presided over a VIAC arbitration tribunal that settled a dispute concerning a mining project in Southeast Asia. The multi-year arbitration involved a nine-figure USD amount in controversy.

For Corporate:

1. Counseled JA Solar, a global leader in solar cell and module manufacturing, on establishing a Vietnamese subsidiary for operations in Bac Giang Province, including the acquisition of factory land. The investment exceeded VND 5,000 billion (~USD 240 million), requiring approval from the Prime Minister's Office.

2. Conducted thorough due diligence and provided Vietnam-related advice for Nippon Steel’s USD 1.36 billion joint venture acquisition of BlueScope Steel businesses.

3. Represented Merck on Vietnam-related matters in the USD 41.1 billion global Merck/Schering-Plough merger.

Languages Spoken

English (American) - Native.

Korean - Limited Working Proficiency.

Education

Awards