Michelle Ya-Ling Gon

Michelle Gon is a partner of McDermott Will & Emery currently stationed in Shanghai at the firm’s strategic alliance, MWE China Law Office. Her practice focuses on corporate, regulatory and compliance areas, including anti-corruption, unfair competition, anti-monopoly and anti-fraud representations.

Michelle has extensive experience in handling international transactions in a wide spectrum of practice areas across China, the USA and EU countries. With her long term, on-the-ground experience of doing business both within and outside China, she provides practical advice to clients on complex legal issues. Michelle often assumes the role of external general counsel for various clients on strategic development and compliance issues.

Prior to joining McDermott Will & Emery, Michelle was a Principal at Baker & McKenzie Shanghai from 2005 to 2015. She has also held various roles at Baker & McKenzie including Managing Partner of the Taipei office; served as the Chief Legal Officer/Vice President of Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation; and been an International Attorney for McDonald’s Corporation, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Michelle was named as one of the Top 30 Attorneys in China and one of the Top 100 Attorneys in the Asia Pacific region, by Asian Legal Business in 2004. She was listed as a leading lawyer in the life sciences sector in China by Chambers Asia Pacific in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2016, she was recognized by Chamber Asia Pacific as one of the 5 leading attorneys on Corporate Investigation and Anti-corruption. Michelle is a member of the American Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. She frequently lecture at Tsing Hua University for its international EMBA programs.