Zhou Yao

A lawyer who cares, and who demonstrates a solid legal background and flexibility and shrewdness as a “deal maker” while closing a deal for the client. --- Wang Jian (Aerdragon Aviation-Legal Director)

Yao Zhou graduated from China University of Political Science and Law. She then went to University of Oxford to study for master's degree in 2007. Yao Zhou is a partner at banking & finance department in Dentons Beijing office, and the executive director of the Financial Leasing Law Research Center of the Financial Committee in Dentons Beijing. Since working as a full-time lawyer, she has mainly engaged in aircraft financial leasing, banking and finance, foreign direct investment, corporate financing and (international) merger and acquisition. Her rich professional experience, meticulous legal services and excellent English ability presented during transaction has won unanimous recognition from clients.

• Acted as legal counsel for a large-size PRC company to purchase an ACJ319 Neo aircraft from Airbus and procured a successful delivery. This is the first time of the PRC’s importation of a PRC registered ACJ319 Neo. Yao Zhou participated in the whole process of this importation.
• Acted as lead counsel and cooperated with Dentons London team for a PRC policy bank in a complex financing restructuring transaction involving a restructure from the existing “cross-border direct lease” to a “PRC tax leverage lease”. Yao Zhou and Dentons have demonstrated the ability to provide a “one-stop” service covering multiple jurisdictions to clients.
• Represented Everbright Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. to purchase a package of seven Boeing aircraft from China Aircraft Leasing Group Holdings Limited. The aggregated amount of this transaction exceeded USD 300 million. This transaction was complicated because of the involvement of different PRC free trade zones and both parties’ reporting obligations as public companies.
• Represented The Boeing Company to form a joint venture in Tianjin with China Aviation Industry Corporation I and Hatch (China) Holding Company. This joint venture, invested by The Boeing Company, is a manufacturer of aviation composite material. Yao Zhou acted as a bridge of communication among all parties and government sectors in this transaction, and contributed to the introduction of advanced technology, fund, and management experience into the PRC.
• Represented a PRC bank and cooperated with Dentons bankruptcy team to participate in the bankruptcy restructuring process of Hainan Airlines. This transaction manifested Yao Zhou and Dentons’s ability to provide clients with comprehensive legal services.

• Banking and finance
• Foreign direct investment
• M&A
• Private equity and venture capital investment

• Aviation
• Banking
• Financial services 
• Shipping 

PRC lawyer

• Appointed as member of “China Contact Group” by the Aviation Working Group.
• In September 2018, she was selected to the talent pool of foreign business lawyers that established by judicial department and was incorporated in Thousands of National Foreign Business Lawyers Roll.
• In 2022, invited as an individual to be a member of ASBAA (Asian Business Aviation Association)’s China Commission, and participated in the work of the professional commission of “Aviation Law Tax/Assessment/Finance”.

• LLM, University of Oxford, 2007
• LLB, China University of Political Science and Law, 2006