Photo, Jonathan M. Isaacs

Jonathan M. Isaacs

Registered Foreign Lawyer
Baker & McKenzie
Not admitted to practice law in this jurisdiction

Biography

Jonathan Isaacs heads Baker McKenzie's China Employment Practice. Jonathan is listed as a leading lawyer for China employment law in various legal publications and has shared insights on labor and employment issues with many publications and media outlets, including The Financial TimesThe Wall Street JournalWashington PostLA TimesReutersThe Economist Intelligence Unit, Voice of AmericaRTHKLA Times and Fortune Magazine. He has also co-authored the leading treatise on Chinese employment law in English, Employment Law & Practice in China. He is admitted as a lawyer in the state of New York, USA.

Practice Focus

Jonathan is experienced in advising multinational companies on labor unions, collective bargaining, overtime compliance, termination issues, and data privacy issues, as well as the employment aspects of M&A transactions in the PRC.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised numerous clients on requirements for union establishment and collective bargaining in China.

  • Mediated and resolved a labor dispute between management and employees at a multinational company’s training center subsidiary.

  • Assisted multiple companies in handling mass layoffs and labor unrest related to factory closures.

  • Assisted a multinational company in drafting a brief for an employment dispute heard by the Supreme People’s Court.

  • Assisted a multinational company in a court claim brought by an expatriate employee against the company’s Chinese subsidiary for wrongful termination.

  • Advised numerous clients on employment issues related to M&A transactions such as employee transfers, employee terminations and severance issues.

  • Advised and assisted a major multinational company in an audit of possible bribery activities by employees in China.

  • Advised a large multinational company in handling a major employee theft case and potential criminal prosecution.

Professional Honors

  • Leading Lawyer (Employment: Mainland China-based - International Firms, China/Hong Kong) – Chambers Greater China (2022)
  • Leading Individual (Labour and Employment: Hong Kong) – Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2020-2022)
  • Leading Lawyer (Employment: PRC Law - International Firms, China/Hong Kong) – Chambers Asia Pacific (2015-2021)
  • Recommended Lawyer for China, Labour, Employment & Benefits - Who's Who Legal (2021)

Admissions

  • New York~United States (2005)

Education

  • Georgetown University Law Center (Law Degree) (2004)
  • Williams College (Bachelor of Arts) (2000)

Languages

  • English
  • Mandarin