City Development Law Firm occupies, and some would argue dominates, a construction-focused space in the Shanghai legal market. The firm’s construction team consists of star lawyers with both legal and civil engineering backgrounds. The team has always been in a leading position in the field, with a particular forte in infrastructure, public utilities and landmark projects.
Deputy directors Zhongchun Song and Rubo Han are key names to note, while senior partner Shuying Zhu is a long-time authority in the construction capacity.
In one case sample, the firm successfully represented Taizhou Feilong Group in defending an arbitration initiated by a subcontractor, who requested the client return its overpayment of more than Rmb34 million ($4.7 million) in project recovery. The firm filed a counterclaim for arbitration against the subcontractor, requesting it to pay the delayed period financing fee and return the amount of the quality guarantee.
In another case, the firm successfully represented Shanghai Road and Bridge Group in a construction contract dispute against Jiangsu Keshun Construction and Installation Engineering, who sued for Rmb13.35 million, claiming that the work payment should be jointly made by the client and another construction engineering company. As the 'general contractor' for the project, the client didn't have a direct contractual relationship with the plaintiff, who sought to leverage their position as the 'actual constructor' to make a claim against the client. Past cases had set a precedent that interpreted the 'general contractor' as the 'contractor' responsible for non-payment based on their role as the 'actual constructor'. This jurisprudence posed challenges for the firm's client. However, through dedicated efforts, the firm successfully defended the client's interests. The client had several similar cases in the same region, and this case provided a basis for handling them, thus reducing the client's litigation risk in other similar cases.
Some of the firm’s recent clients include CSSC Real Estate, Shanghai Construction Group and Shanghai Dezhong Construction Group.
