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Michael Wong

Honorary Counsel
Baker & McKenzie

Biography

Honorary Counsel Michael Wong is the head of the Tax Practice Group in our Taipei office and a leading authority on legal, regulatory, and taxation issues involving major cross-border commercial transactions. In the past 5 years Michael has re-oriented his professional focus on assisting high-net-worth families with private banking, wealth management, and cross-border legal and tax matters, such as trusts, foundations, wills, and private holding companies. He is also one of the founders and the chair of STEP Taiwan. From 2018 through 2022, Michael was one of the eight members of Baker McKenzie's Global Executive Committee which oversees the day-to-day management of the global international law firm, which has 74 offices across 45+ countries, with over 13,0000 staff worldwide. He was the chair of the Asia Pacific Region from 2020 through 2022.

Practice Focus

Michael's practice focuses on international succession planning, including tax, compliance, legal and private banking matters.

Representative Legal Matters

Tax matters

  • Assisting high net worth families on private wealth management and cross border legal and tax issues, including the use of trust and foundations, wills and private holding companies.
  • Assisting financial institutions and independent trustees on cross- border tax and legal compliance issues.
  • Structuring Taiwan operations and transactions, including representative offices, branches and subsidiaries of foreign enterprises.
  • Preparation of requests for tax rulings.
  • Tax incentives offered to encourage investment and technology transfer.
  • Advice and implementation on corporate restructuring.

Mergers and acquisitions

  • US multinational cross border acquisition of a listed Taiwan company by way of a public tender offer.
  • USD 2.3 billion merger between two leading Taiwan listed companies, in forming the world's third largest LED panel maker.
  • Taiwan financial holding company's strategic investment and cooperation with a large state owned PRC banking group.
  • USD 630 million tender offer by Advanced Semiconductor Engineering on all outstanding shares of Universal Scientific Industrial Inc., using a combination of cash and shares as considerations.

Professional Honors

  • Named Eminent Practitioner by Chambers Greater China (2026)
  • Named Hall of Fame by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2026)
  • Named Leading Partner by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific (2026)
  • Named Taiwan’s Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Journal (2026)
  • Named Highly Regarded by ITR World Tax (2025)
  • Named Highly Regarded by IFLR1000 (2025)

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Asian American Bar Association
  • State Bar of California
  • Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP)
  • American Bar Association
  • American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan

Corporate Responsibility

  • Ruian Rotary Club, Taipei, Taiwan
  • Li Ching Cultural and Education Foundation, Taiwan
  • Community Cooks, Boston, USA
  • Chi Heng Foundation, Hong Kong

Admissions

  • California~United States (1985)
  • Taipei~Taiwan (Attorney at Foreign Law)

Education

  • Soochow University (LL.M.) (1989)
  • University of California, College of the Law, San Francisco (formerly University of California, Hastings College of the Law) (J.D.) (1985)
  • University of California at Los Angeles (B.A.) (1981)

Languages

  • English
  • Mandarin
Baker & McKenzie, a Taiwanese Partnership, is a member of Baker & McKenzie International.