Beijing

With 100 partners and 300 lawyers, AllBright Law Offices’ litigation and arbitration practice is known for its work in commercial disputes. The firm is regularly involved in the real estate, mining and metals and financial services sectors. It is often instructed by international corporations and major domestic enterprises. With a proven track record in litigation, the firm is also growing its presence in the international arbitration scene.

Rui Guo is a key name in the firm, acting as lead partner on the majority of cases related to the banking and financial services, construction and real estate sectors. Jianfeng Wang and Sheng Zhang are other lawyers to note for both commercial disputes and international arbitration.

In construction and real estate, the firm is advising its client Huaxiang Real Estate, the transferee, on a land dispute with a sizeable real estate company controlled by a state-owned enterprise. The client found that there were significant flaws and undisclosed debts for the land in question, which caused the client to suffer significant loss.

Their notable clients include Brother Industries, CITIC Securities, Huawei Technologies and Jiangsu Guojing Holding Group.

Client feedback

“Professional legal service capabilities, timely notification of legal risks, and multi-faceted financial case-handling experience effectively help our company successfully resolve risks.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm responds to our company's needs in a timely manner and gives valuable legal advice. The team is able to pinpoint the core legal problems and give solutions. The lawyers consider issues from the perspective of the company and give reasonable legal advice based on our actual situation.” – Commercial and transactions

“They are professional.” – International arbitration

Fang (Frank) Cao

“Lawyer Cao Fang has served as the general counsel of our company in China for 15 years, giving him a solid understanding of the company's operations and business model. Cao Fang also has experience working with shipping companies, and is able to combine that with law knowledge to provide practical and effective solutions for the company.”

Minli Tang

“Minli is hands-on, focused and highly intellectual. She is proactive and knows how to best meet the clients' needs.”

“Minli is very skilful and versed in international arbitration practice. She has excellent client service and is able to command the attention of the room with her ability to present in a concise and cogent manner.”

“Very positive!”

Di Zhang

“Reorganises consultant recommendations in a professional, efficient and effective manner.”

Sheng (Jonson) Zhang

“Lawyer Zhang Sheng possesses more than 20 years of experience in judicial practice, specialising in litigation and arbitration in the field of financial securities. He conducted a thorough risk analysis of the company’s projects and demonstrated his professional competence in formulating litigation and arbitration strategies. He successfully helped the company mitigate major risks and received unanimous praise from people throughout the company.”

“It has been a pleasure working with Zhang Sheng. When our company encountered an urgent dispute, Zhang and his team actively mediated between all parties involved to help us overcome obstacles in a timely and effective manner while fully and effectively protecting our rights and interests. Zhang Sheng is an experienced lawyer of excellent conduct, always remaining dedicated, honest and diligent in his practice. His profound knowledge of legal theories and abundant practical experience in the field of financial services has allowed him to effectively resolve legal problems and made him an excellent litigator.”

Beijing-based full-service AnJie Broad Law Firm is best known in the disputes field for its international arbitration and commercial and transactions-related work, especially in the insurance sector. Meanwhile, intellectual property litigation has become another outstanding practice area of the firm, with full coverage of patents, trademarks, copyrights and unfair competition.

Key partners in the Beijing office include commercial disputes expert Zhan Hao and IP partner Liu Qinghui.

During the research period, the firm acted for the actual controller of a listed company and a minority shareholder of a National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) company in a dispute over the transfer of equity. The case is the first NEEQ company domestic litigation case, which is of pioneering significance for similar disputes. The firm also advised Yangtze River Pension Insurance against a real estate company in a debt dispute. Given that the Chinese government's regulatory policies on the financial market are becoming increasingly stringent, further cases of this kind are expected in the future.

In intellectual property, AnJie represented OPPO against Sharp in a widely reported SEP dispute and helped the client reach a patent licence agreement in mid 2021. This case is the first dispute involving hundreds of standard essential patents at global rates heard by a Chinese court.

All the international arbitration cases submitted by the firm are confidential.

The firm’s major clients include Alibaba, Bank of Shanghai, Hyundai Insurance (China), National Energy Group Ningxia Coal Industry, Qualcomm, Semikron Elektronik and Sinopec. 

In 2022, the firm hired Wei Cui as a dispute resolution partner, and international arbitration expert Chao Yang left the firm and joined Haiwen & Partners.

Client feedback

“Smooth communication and meticulous case follow-up.” - Commercial and transactions

Zhenghe Liu

“Labour arbitration and litigation is good.”

Anli Partners is known for its work in commercial disputes. It focuses on disputes in the fields of securities, equity, investment funds, and so on. The key partner is Jinrong Hou, who is active in banking and finance.

During the research period,  the team provided legal services for China National Investment and Guaranty Corporation on a dispute over trusts and financial lending. The structure involved in this case was complex.

The firm’s clients are in the automotive, energy, industrials and manufacturing and TMT sectors and regularly seek out the firm for advice.

Beijing Cyan Law Firm is a widely recognised boutique firm in the construction and real estate fields. With years of experience in handling complex disputes in domestic and foreign-related litigation and cross-border disputes, the firm has consistently obtained favourable results on behalf of its clients in large-scale infrastructure work and real estate-related disputes.

Wanhe Ye, Jun Wang and Yinli Gao are leading individuals at the firm and are respected figures in the market.

Although the firm’s case highlights during the research period remain confidential, it has handled many significant cases related to construction and real estate issues, such as involving the South-North Water Transfer Project and the construction of Daxing Airport.

Client feedback

“They take the initiative and provide legal support services according to the actual needs of each client. They have good communication skills and strong personal abilities. They also deliver timely service with a tight time limit.” – Commercial and transactions

“Through the in-depth cooperation between our company and the firm’s commercial dispute team, we consider that the team has rich practical experience in disputes related to construction engineering, PPP projects, company law, investment and mergers and acquisitions. They solve practical problems for our company and provide professional and executable solutions. The partners, lawyers and paralegals of the team are all serious and responsible, and have outstanding teamwork capabilities – especially illustrated in the arbitration case concerning franchise projects between our company and the local government, in terms of the strategy formulation, legal opinions and legal services throughout the arbitration process, etc. They provided important support for our company in many aspects, and we are satisfied with the results.” – Commercial and transactions

“As a boutique law firm, Beijing Cyan Law Firm has strong advantages in the field of construction engineering. The construction engineering team led by lawyers Wanhe Ye and Wei Shi has provided high-quality and comprehensive legal services in many international and domestic construction engineering cases. The team starts from the customer's point of view, has rich experience in construction project services, provides legal advice quickly and comprehensively, and solves many legal issues and disputes in the litigation/arbitration process.” – Construction

“In the process of communication, I got the impression that the firm is very experienced, able to meet the needs of customers, and help customers solve problems from practice. In addition, the feedback from the firm is very timely, and the firm resolves problems for customers at any time.” – Government and regulatory

Arthur Chiu

“Highly professional and capable. He follows up with clear criteria for structuring on business solutions and dispute resolutions. Years of experience and talent in what he does.”

“He is client oriented, a problem solver. Reliable and honest.”

“Lawyer Chiu provided consultation for us on dispute resolution and compliance. Throughout the consultation process, I felt that he was very professional. He gave very practical advice that addressed the client’s needs.”

“Arthur Chiu is experienced in the field of international arbitration. He is very focused on the details of the matter at hand and, with a sharp mind, he is able to ask and formulate the right questions to achieve the expected results.”

“Very responsible and responsive. Good at US law and designing risk management strategy.”

Wei Shi

“His special research in the field of construction and engineering meets the depth and business goals required by our company, in which he was able to effectively isolate resources from a trove of historical data to lay a solid foundation for commercial solutions.”

Piwei Sun

“Lawyer Sun is very friendly and is very understanding and supportive of client needs and difficult situations encountered. She was able to offer timely legal support services even within a tight time frame or when it was very late in the day.”

“For major cases, she was able to extract useful information from a vast trove of historical information and utilise her rich experience in industry practice and strong professional skills to establish the core points of appeal/defence.”

Founded in 1993, Beijing DHH Law Firm is a full-service law firm that was established by DeHeng Law Group. Over the years, the firm has pursued an aggressive expansion, targeting strategic locations throughout the country, and now it has 26 offices across China. The firm’s best-performing areas within disputes practice are commercial, real estate and construction disputes. Its commercial disputes team is active in bankruptcy and insolvency, while the real estate and construction group has experience in representing real estate companies in various contractual disputes.

Key partners in Beijing include Cheng Ji, Hongtao Mao and Yang Lu. They all specialise in commercial disputes.

One of the highlighted cases is its role advising CNPC Offshore Engineering on a commercial litigation involving Iranian tax payment. The accuser is Minsheng Yangjia Shipping Leasing Company. This is a rare case involving a dispute between a central enterprise and a heavyweight private enterprise over tax payment outside China, involving complex tax law issues. The firm also advised Shenzhen Neptunus Group on its invoice issues, which were audited by the Tianjin Taxation Bureau. This case relates to the financial and taxation situation of both parties. The determination of false invoices is complicated and involves complex legal relationships.

In the real estate and construction area, the firm represented China Construction First Bureau against Tianjin Longsha Culture in the dispute about the Tianjin Yitianyuan Project. The amount involved in the case is more than 100 million yuan. The reason for the dispute is that Lonsha has repeatedly failed to make the payment on time. With the help of DHH, the Tianjin court finally supported most of China Construction First Bureau's claims. At present, the case has entered the enforcement stage.

Founded in 2003, full-service Beijing Docvit Law Firm is particularly known for its commercial disputes strength, especially in financial litigation and investigations and corporate and insolvency litigation matters. The firm is also active in construction and real estate disputes, intellectual property disputes and international arbitration.

Guanghu Shi is a senior partner of the firm’s dispute resolution team.

During the research period, the firm handled several administrative disputes and acted for various corporations in disputes concerning equity transfer, contractual issues and corporate bond trading. Most cases remain confidential.

The firm has been expanding rapidly over the past few years by hiring partners from firms such as Zhong Lun Law Firm, Dare & Sure Law Firm and Anli Partners.

As one of the oldest law firms in Beijing, Kangda Law Firm is widely known for its commercial criminal defence practice and has a well-respected commercial disputes practice backed by highly recognised practitioners. Junxi Lu is a key partner in its Beijing commercial disputes department.

In one noteworthy case it is acting for Everbright Securities' wholly owned subsidiary against Baofeng Group. Due to the large amount of subject matter and the complex legal issues, this case has attracted the attention of the securities market, financial market and legal circles for several years. The firm also acted for its client Tiantu Industry against Zhunxing Heavy Duty Expressway on a contract dispute. The firm recovered huge losses for its client.

Key clients include China Development Bank, China Construction First Bureau, Second Hydropower Bureau and China Resources Gas.

Client feedback

“Serious and responsible, good professional and strong business ability.” – Commercial disputes

Headquartered in Beijing, CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office’s legacy practice boasts nearly 300 patent and trademark attorneys and lawyers. The enforcement team provides litigation, administrative enforcement and mediation services to clients relating to patent, trademark, copyright, domain name as well as unfair competition matters. Its practitioners are experienced in the pharmaceuticals, chemicals and high-tech industries.

Trademark litigator Gang Hu is a key name at the firm and was the lead partner on several cases during the research period.

The firm were kept busy representing HC Semitek, one of the largest LED companies in China, in defending an Rmb40 million ($5.8 million) lawsuit filed by San’an Optoelectronics before the Changsha Intermediate People’s Court for patent infringement. This lawsuit between the two largest LED companies in China has a great influence in the industry and has attracted considerable attention. Another marquee matter had the firm represent Canon in a patent infringement lawsuit involving four defendants who conducted suspected infringing acts as co-manufacturers and co-sellers. The firm also represented video coding company Xylene Holding in a series of eight patent invalidation cases.

The firm’s recent client roster includes Blue Sky Innovation Group, Grundfos, Julius Blum and Mercedes-Benz Group.

Boutique firm Chance Bridge Partners is most active in the corporate, commercial and financial disputes areas. The firm regularly acts for clients in matters concerning securities, shareholders, construction, foreign-related litigation and arbitration, insolvency and intellectual property.

Yuxiang Hu and Qiang Ye are key partners in its commercial dispute resolution team.

One highlight saw the firm advise Huarong Asset Management company in a Rmb5 billion ($723 million) assets disposal project. During the process, the firm assisted in disputes, restructuring and investment legal work.

The firm also advised on the execution of Huaxin International Trust's notarised creditor's rights documents. In other matters, the firm acted on a dispute over a stock pledge repurchase between CITIC Securities and a listed company; and handled an entrusted loan contract dispute between Ping An Trust and a leading company in Nanjing.

Notable clients of the firm include China Construction Bank, China CITIC Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Industrial Bank and Xiamen International Bank.

In 2022, the firm hired two partners, Yan Zhang and Songtao Yang. In 2021, the firm hired two partners from Zhong Lun Law Firm and one partner from JunHe.

Client feedback

“Professional and responsible [at their work].” – Construction and real estate

China Patent Agent (HK) is an intellectual property boutique with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, as well as other countries. It provides a full range of IP services to its clients, with expertise in drafting, filing, prosecution, litigation, mediation, licensing, assignment and counselling in the areas of patents, trademarks, copyright, domain names and anti-unfair competition. The firm is one of the oldest and largest IP litigation firms in China.

IP specialists Yuhe Wu, Jingzhao Wang and Yanfeng Xiong are key names in the firm.

Please use this case: One recent highlight for the firm blends elements of intellectual property and automobile industry. The team, on behalf of General Motors, in responding a patent infringement case filed by a Japanese company J.S.T. Mfg. and successfully defended the client’s rights in late 2021. The technology in this case relates to components for automobiles produced by the world's leading manufacturers.

The firm also acted for Darwin Technologies, a European manufacturing company that won its case over an indirect patent infringement in Beijing High People's Court. The victory in this case received great attention because Chinese courts rarely support indirect infringement. In addition, the judgment element of aiding infringement has developed greatly in recent years. The entire litigation lasted for six years, during which time changes in the rules for the establishment of aiding infringement were introduced. This case has reference value for future similar cases.

Key clients for the firm include Darwin Technology International, Honeywell International, Intel, KPN and Powertech Industrial.

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 of construction, with particular strength in infrastructure, public utilities and landmark projects.

Deputy directors Zhongchun Song and Rubo Han are key names to note, while senior partner Peng Huang is a long-time authority in the construction capacity.

The firm is acting for a world top-500 construction enterprise in China against Evergrande over Evergrande’s failure in payment. The firm also acted for a large real estate enterprise affiliated to Fangyuan Group and suing the general contractor, the Fourth Construction Bureau of China, over allegations of late completion arising from a commercial housing project. In another matter, the firm represented Yunnan Construction Investment Sixth Construction in a construction contract dispute initiated by Yunnan Jianqiang Construction Labor Service.

Some of the firm’s recent clients include Henan Jinjian Construction, Shanghai Road & Bridge (Group), Shunjie Construction (Group) and Yangquan Vocational and Technical College.

In late 2021, the firm hired two senior partners, Fumin Qiu from Beijing-based Astro Legal and Fan Zhang from Hylands Law Firm.

Client feedback

“Rich experience and deep understanding of professional knowledge in the field of construction engineering.” – Construction

“Comprehensive and professional legal services in the areas of urban and rural development, as well as construction projects.” – Construction

Jingqi Li

“He is very knowledgeable in the field of engineering and experienced in law, which enables him to simplify complex issues and provide clients with clear and concise guidance.”

“Provides litigation representation services. A very responsible agent, well versed in engineering, who considers problems from the perspective of the client and addresses clients’ actual needs.”

Commerce & Finance Law Offices is known for its capability in commercial disputes. In particular, the firm has deep expertise in disputes relating to banking and finance, fund and trust, and international trade. In recent years, the firm has also been covering international arbitration.

Hongji Li is a key partner at the firm’s Beijing headquarters. Qiang Cui is another notable lawyer who specialises in commercial disputes.

During the research period, the firm represented Vanke Real Estate and its subsidiary Jinxiu Real Estate against some companies based in Qingdao on a contract dispute; represented a major credit rating institution, DaGong Global Credit Rating, in a series of lawsuits involving misrepresentation during the issuance of non-public offered bonds by Shandong JinMao Textile & Chemical Industry Group; represented China Construction Bank’s subsidiary CCB Trust against CSGC and Baobian Electric on a contract dispute; and represented China National Offshore Oil Corporation against Biolux on a sino-foreign joint venture dispute.

The firm added six partners to its dispute resolution team.

Client feedback

“The commercial team I work with is a very down-to-earth and reliable team. Their fees are relatively low among law firms of the same level, but their devotion to cases is higher than many other law firms. They can deal with clients' problems, respond promptly throughout the whole process of the case. In recent years, the firm has obtained good results in representing several branches of our bank in foreign-related arbitrations.” – Commercial and transactions

“From the stage of sending quotations, they begin to provide companies with thorough legal advice, including information on similar cases they have handled recently, opinions from courts, arbitration bodies and other dispute resolution bodies, etc.” – Commercial and transactions

Qiang Cui

“Cui has highly professional legal skills and strong learning ability. He is always empathetic to clients. He also has the ability to fight for the client’s rights and interests and gain satisfactory results when resolving disputes.”

“The lawyer we worked with was Qiang Cui, a partner of the Beijing office. Lawyer Cui is an industrious and reliable partner with profound theoretical knowledge and solid experience in handling cases. Although he handles many cases at the same time, he is fully prepared for each case and answers clients' questions in an efficient manner. Cui has represented several branches of our bank in litigation and arbitration cases. I was particularly impressed by one case that involved a cutting-edge legal issue – Cui wrote a research article especially for this case and published it in a well-known journal. This kind of professionalism puts clients at ease.”

Wu Wen

“To address the issue of the name used by a school for collecting fees, lawyer Wen quickly established a logical rationale for the issues, found the crux of the problem, and provided the most appropriate solution.”

“His professionalism, astuteness and dedication are most reassuring.”

DaHui Lawyers’ dispute resolution team is particularly known for its work in commercial litigation and arbitration, especially cross-border disputes. The firm represents large foreign corporations and domestic entities before important arbitration centres like HKIAC, ICC and SIAC. Industry leaders in the fields of aviation, energy, tech, manufacturing, IT, automobiles and finance frequently engage the firm for counsel.

Arthur Ma is noted as a key figure within the firm’s dispute resolution practice and has a particular focus on commercial litigation and international arbitration. Xing Wan is another key lawyer to note.

In the commercial and transaction space, the firm successfully represented renowned bond underwriter China Securities. It won both the first-instance case and second-instance case regarding claims of false statements of non-public directional debt financing instruments by non-financial enterprises in the interbank bond market, the first case of its kind in China. This case will have a major impact on the core issue of determining the scope of securities companies’ liability in similar financial disputes.

Another case during the research period shows the firm representing The Boeing Company in multiple product liability disputes in Chinese courts resulting from the MH370 incident, where a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 aircraft carrying 239 people lost contact with the control centre. This case is believed to be a milestone case in the history of aviation product liability in China’s court system.

In the international arbitration space, the firm is representing a global steel product manufacturer and distributor in recovering Rmb400 million ($58 million) worth of cross-border convertible bonds through arbitration. In another case, it is representing a state-owned entity and its A-listed subsidiary in protracted legal proceedings across multiple jurisdictions regarding control over a Cayman-registered Hong Kong-listed company.

In early 2022, the firm hired Zhengwei Yang from Baker McKenzie FenXun as partner. Yi Dai also joined the firm as partner from Wang Jing & Co later in the same year.

The firm’s impressive roster of clients includes China Huarong Overseas Investment Holdings, Henan Guoneng Huanghe Logistics, SAIF Partners and Shanxi Shengdian.

DeHeng Law Offices is a full-service law firm with a national presence in a range of practice areas in China. Headquartered in Beijing, the firm has nearly 30 years of history in dynamic dispute resolution practice, particularly excelling in commercial disputes. It regularly acts on securities disputes, shareholders’ disputes, contract disputes and commercial fraud. The firm is also rapidly growing its expertise in the construction and real estate and intellectual property fields.

Key figures in the Beijing office include Ganghong (Gavin) Sun and Xiongwei Li, who specialise in construction and real estate, and Changbin Chen, who is an expert in commercial disputes.

One case highlight during the research period was the restructuring and insolvency of the Banshan Bandao project, which is a well-known real estate project in Hainan province. The restructuring involves more than 10 enterprises with large assets. As of today, this remains the biggest restructuring of its kind within the tourism real estate industry in mainland China.

In addition, the firm acted for Shanghai Construction Engineering Group in contract disputes against Golden Eagle Real Estate; and also acted for a major Guizhou-based liquor company in protecting its trade mark rights.

In labour and employment, the firm completed dozens of cases. Among them, the firm acted for Xinhua Asset Management in its dispute against its employee in a year-end bonus dispute.

Key clients of the firm include China Three Gorges Group, China South-to-North Water Diversion Project and Tianjin Binhai Development Zone Infrastructure Center.

Client feedback

“Professional and attentive service with excellent problem-solving skills.” – Commercial and transactions

Chunlei Zhang

“Maintains excellent relationship with clients and has a remarkable ability to solve difficult problems.”

The Beijing office of Dentons, known as Dacheng, is widely recognised for its work in commercial disputes, particularly in the banking and finance space. Its construction and real estate dispute teams also play an important role in Beijing’s legal market, offering services that cover a wide swathe of areas, including construction and infrastructure, real estate investment, PPP projects and real estate investment trust funds

Key figures Huazhi Yuan and Zhibin Zheng are noted for their work in construction and insolvency disputes. Li Tao is a senior partner who specialises in commercial disputes.

In commercial disputes, the team represented Beijing Qingyuan Real Estate Development and Yongtai Real Estate (Group) in a dispute over a joint venture and cooperative real estate development contract with Beijing Taihong Dayi Trade company. The case has lasted over 10 years and the Dentons team has helped the clients prevail in both the first and second trials. Other commercial disputes cases remain confidential.

In government and regulatory, the firm’s clients include China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, China Chamber of International Commerce, Sinotrans and Tencent.

Client feedback

“The firm has a high degree of understanding of financial dispute cases. They are professional.” – Commercial and transactions

“Responsible, professional and committed to justice.” – Commercial and transactions

Lixia Peng

“She conducts immediate follow-up on cases, and she has outstanding ability to fully grasp the fine details of different cases.”

East & Concord Partners is mainly recognised for its arbitration work, and many lawyers from its Beijing office are senior arbitrators for the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and other arbitration institutions. The firm is also experienced in commercial disputes and IP disputes, leading several significant cases in industries such as finance, energy, education and insurance. The firm regularly provides litigation services for central enterprises, financial institutions, and domestic and foreign enterprises.

Qi Zhou and Chaoyi Ji are two key partners in the dispute resolution department of the firm, with a focus on commercial litigation and arbitration.

Over the past year, the firm has advised Nationsync Electrical and Machinery Equip on an arbitration case against China National Machine Tool Sales and Technical Service Corporation; acted for Tishman Speyer China Fund on an international arbitration against ARA at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission; and represented China Citic Bank Beijing branch in a series of arbitrations against investors.

Notable clients include China Banking Association, CITIC Bank, Pacific Insurance Group, Vanke Beijing and Zhejiang Longsheng Group.

In September 2022, the firm hired partner Yingzhi Yang from Beijing Dongwei Law Firm.

Gen Law Firm is a newly founded boutique law firm that focuses on intellectual property practice. The firm has solid experience in patent and trademark areas and covers the full spectrum of sectors, including automotive, banking and financial services, wireless communications, semiconductors, computing, medicine, retail, publishing, software, sports, chemicals, social media and advertising.

Jing He and Kefeng Zhao are key contacts at the firm.

Case highlights include representing Beijing Baocaisheng Catering Management Company in trademark infringement and unfair competition disputes; advising on a series of trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation cases for American Sentry; and acting for Mingyang Smart Energy Group in a trade secrets case.

Client feedback

“They could establish a regular rhythm to inform the client of progress or lack of thereof.” – Intellectual property

Global Law Office’s litigation and arbitration practice has a good reputation in commercial disputes, including antitrust and competition, finance, insolvency and real estate-related litigation. The Beijing office mainly specialises in representing international companies in foreign-related commercial litigation and complex transactional disputes.

Yifeng Gao is a key partner at the firm who specialises in international trade, commercial contracts and corporate matters. Another name to note is Jingye Jiang, who is active in international arbitration disputes.

The firm’s disputes capability is among the most highly respected in the market. During the research period, the firm acted for Zhongrong International Trust against Qinghai Huaxin Hydropower Development on a litigation. This case involves complex legal issues regarding the identification of real debts with nominal shareholder’s identification, and it triggered major controversies.

In the IP field, the firm advised the Yoovidhya family, the owner of the “Redbull” trademark, on the Red Bull gold can trade dress dispute. It also represented AstraZeneca in its patent infringement litigation appeal proceedings before the Supreme People’s Court against generic manufacturer Jiangsu Aosaikang Pharmaceutical company.

In government and regulatory, the firm acted for seven Chinese leading pharmaceutical industry associations to carry out the evaluation of compliance management practice for Chinese enterprises.

Key clients include Standard Chartered Bank, Deutsche Bank, Hang Seng Bank, Red Bull, Budweiser and OPPO.

In 2022, the firm welcomed dispute resolution partners Liya Peng from Jingcheng Tongda & Neal, Xiaoni Qi from Guangdong Rong Guan Law Firm, Liyun Kou from Beijing Ruibai Law Firm, Ke Zhao from Sichuan Equity Law Firm, Shuhui Dai from Wintell & Co, Kevin Wang from Goldman Sachs Gao Hua Securities, Dahai Wei from Lifang & Partners and Byrd Zou from Meetsocial Group.

Client feedback

“The firm is very meticulous in case analysis and can also plan compliance tasks in line with the actual situation of the enterprise in terms of corporate compliance consulting.” – Commercial and transactions

"Both teams of lawyers are highly professional, have solid legal knowledge, and are highly proactive in their work. Lawyers Lei Ting and Wang Xi are friendly, willing to communicate, and able to consider the interests of their clients. Their work is meticulous, professional, standardised and comprehensive. Their quotations are reasonable, and their dealings are legal and compliant.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm is representing us in defending an arbitration tribunal. We find the process very professional, and the fee is reasonable.” – Commercial and transactions

“The law firm's intellectual property legal services are of high quality and can provide our company with practical and effective legal advice. They are always able to give us feedback in a very timely manner, without any delaying and procrastinating. When Global Law Firm provides us with legal services, it always makes our business needs a very important priority and accurately implements the business plan formulated for us. We have a high degree of trust and reliance on them and will continue to seek their legal services for business support in the years to come.” – Intellectual property

Jia (Meph) Gui

“Lawyer Gui Jia is an intellectual property lawyer who has long provided us with legal services. He is a particularly outstanding lawyer with a background superior to any other competitor on the market. He has many years of experience with an impressive resume when it comes to intellectual property law in China. Holding a licence in both China and the US makes him an even more powerful lawyer. His understanding of the differences between intellectual property protection provided by Chinese law and common law can certainly make a difference in cross-border intellectual property cases. All of these count as advantages he has over other competitors. He has solid basic legal skills and exceptional English that allows him to communicate with foreign lawyers and decision-makers in English. He has been rated a top Chinese intellectual property lawyer by numerous lawyer rating agencies and has a well-deserved reputation.”

Shifang Guo

“Very business-like, proactive in communication, and polite when communicating with counterparties.”

Ting Lei

“Lawyer Lei is very proactive and often takes the initiative. He provides comprehensive legal solutions and professional legal analysis. He is also friendly with thorough communication skills.”

Keyou Wang

“He is highly experienced, particularly in enterprise management. Wang offers recommendations and solutions that serve as strong guidance for enterprises.”

Lai Wang

“When handling criminal cases, she has a knack for discovering key evidence from the fine details, such that she is able to find a complete chain of evidence from complex legal relationships.”

Lei Ye

“A very professional, dedicated and hands-on lawyer. We can rest assured, having him look over our documents.”

Grandall Law Firm’s Beijing dispute resolution team consists of 30 partners and more than 100 lawyers and fee earners. It is best known for its commercial disputes work, covering from arbitration, banking and finance, and equity capital markets to aviation, real estate, competition and insurance.

Senior partner Zhengyu Yang is a key partner who specialises in commercial disputes.

During the research period, notable cases include acting for the Taiyuan branch of China Merchants Bank against Shanxi Property Group in a dispute over the right of recourse of negotiable instruments; acting for Guizhou Kaili Rural Commercial Bank against the Nantong branch of Hengfeng Bank in a dispute over the negotiable instruments financing; and acting for China Huateng against Shanxi Jianbang Group and Shanxi Tongcai Industry in a circular trade dispute.

Client feedback

“The law firm has served our company's contract review work for a long time, and has extensive experience in handling aviation leasing, purchase, equity transfer and other types of contract review. Feedback is fast and opinions are comprehensive. In addition, the firm is also responsible for our company's business consultation and claims dispute settlement and it is very familiar with relevant laws in the aviation industry. The combination of professional legal affairs and business legal advice helps our company solve many problems.” – Commercial disputes

Dispute resolution is one of the core practice areas of Grandway Law Firm and the firm is particularly good at handling commercial disputes. Gang Xie heads the dispute resolution team.

During the last 12 months, the firm has advised a Tibetan investment company and a Beijing investment company in a lawsuit against Zhonghong Zhuoye Group and the enforcement case. Other cases submitted during the research period remain confidential.

In 2021, the firm advised Chengdu Santai Holding Group on an arbitration case against an individual; advised Zulong (Tianjin) Technology in an arbitration case against Jingqi Technology (Hong Kong); and represented Xingke Electronic Technology in an Rmb3.2 billion ($463 million) lawsuit against an individual.

The litigation and arbitration department of Guantao Law Firm is widely recognised by its peers. The firm handles a variety of complex disputes matters, being especially known for commercial and transactions-related disputes, such as high-value, complex corporate and commercial disputes and insolvency, as well as regulatory matters.

Leiming Sheng and Shaosong Sun jointly lead its disputes team, with expertise in commercial and construction disputes as well as antitrust and arbitration. Wei Jiang is also singled out for his work in the construction space.

Work highlights during the research period include the firm acting for Beijing Zhuo Liang Jin Qiao Construction Engineering, Beijing Mei Rui Tai Fu Investment Management and Beijing Da De Chao Rui Commerce and Trade in a financial dispute arising from Taoyun Capital Group’s bankruptcy proceedings. The firm also represented the Beijing branch of China Huarong Asset Management in a financial non-performing claims recovery dispute with Wuxi Suyuan Real Estate and Chongqing Sunshine 100 Real Estate Development and acted for General (Beijing) Investment Fund Management in an equity repurchase litigation.

Key clients include Ping An Property Insurance, Shenzhen Bi'an Trend Technology, SZ DJI Technology and Walmart (China) Investment.

Beijing-headquartered Hai Run Law Firm was formed in January 2018 by the merger of two former longstanding law firms, Beijing Hairun Law Firm and Beijing Tianrui Law Firm. The firm now is home to more than 300 lawyers across six offices in China. Its dispute resolution team is active in several practice areas, including commercial, intellectual property and insolvency.

Notable firm contacts include managing partners Ming Yao and Jinlong Zhou, who specialise in commercial disputes matters.

Last year, the firm advised China Nuclear Investment on a financial loan contract dispute with China Nuclear (Pingtan) Science and Technology Park Investment Partnership Enterprise, Beijing Shunhua Real Estate and Bank of Beijing. This case will be a precedent for other similar cases if the plaintiff wins, given the fact that cases of this kind are rare, despite support found in laws and regulations.

In 2022, the firm welcomed around 20 new partners.

The firm has many notable clients in banking, including Agricultural Bank of China, Bank of China, Minsheng Bank, Hua Xia Bank and China CITIC Bank.

Client feedback

“Generally good, effective and they provide timely advice.” – Government and regulatory

Haiwen & Partners has a wide range of experience across commercial litigation and arbitration relating to the banking, construction and manufacturing industries. The firm is also active in intellectual property disputes.

Key individuals include Fan He for commercial disputes and Qiang Ma for IP disputes.

Some of the commercial and transactions case highlights during the research period saw the firm advising Shandong Innovation Real Estate in a litigation case against CCI Holdings involving financing, guarantee and equity transfer of a project company; representing Anhui Four Seasons Smart New Energy Technology in an arbitration against Beijing Zhongneng Zhihui Technology and three other entities in a dispute arising from an investment cooperation agreement related to a material assets reorganisation of a listed company; and defending a large Chinese listed bank in a series of arbitral cases.

The firm has shown noticeable growth in its headcount in the past 12 months, with dispute lawyer Chao Yang returning to its bench as partner from AnJie Broad Law Firm. In late 2022, the firm also welcomed Jingjing Chen and Yuanyuan Jia as partners from Hui Zhong Law Firm and Zhong Lun Law Firm, respectively.

Notable clients are AVIC International Aviation Development, Poly Mining and Mercedes-Benz (China).

Client feedback

“Professional service and work attitude. Timely feedback.” – Commercial and transactions

“The team is professional with smooth communication skills. They provide clear explanation and understand customer needs.” – Commercial and transactions

“Highly professional and effective in providing advice. The team members have good experience and clear division of labour.” – Commercial and transactions

“Provided professional services and important opinions for investment decisions. They are also very responsive.” – Intellectual property

Yuxiang Liu

“He represented our company and won major lawsuits.”

Qiang Ma

“Good communicator who is bilingual in Chinese and English. He is also adaptable.”

“He is quite responsive, and he solves the issues raised by the client.”

Han Kun Law Offices has grown from its Beijing origins and pursued an aggressive development, rapidly expanding its number of lawyers. The firm is recognised in various industries, such as telecommunications, healthcare and retail. It is especially well known for its high-quality work, and regularly advises clients in commercial disputes, especially in private equity and venture capital fields.

Notable figures within the team in Beijing include commercial guru Yaxing Zhang and Dong Liu, and IP expert Yan Wang.

In the past 12 months, highlights for the firm include representing a well-known securities firm in disputes over bondholders’ claims for compensation for misrepresentation in relation to a series of bonds underwritten by the firm; representing Peking University Resources Group Investment in an Rmb7.9 billion ($1.14 billion) loan dispute; and representing Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company Garmin in a litigation case against Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company.

In the government and regulatory space, the firm conducted anti-fraud compliance investigation on behalf of a listed biopharmaceutical company against several APP operators who misappropriated the client’s identity and logo to solicit public fund raising. In another case, the firm represented a global industrial automation device manufacturer in its internal compliance investigations into possible misconduct by several senior managers of the client’s subsidiary in China.

On the IP front, the firm acted for Sanan, a leading LED manufacturer in China, in a patent infringement case against HC SemiTek. The ongoing case drew a great attention in the LED industry because it is the first case claiming high damage in this industry. In another IP dispute, the firm represented Tinno Mobile, a Chinese ODM company focused on manufacturing phones, in a standard essential patent related dispute against Chinese partially state-owned technology company ZTE Corporation before Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court.

The firm’s IP team has welcomed Haining Song and Jian Zhang as partners. They joined from Fangda Partners and Liu Shen & Associates, respectively. The firm has been steadily building out its government and regulatory practice through noticeable strategic hires as of late: Michelle Gon has joined the firm as senior compliance advisor from Winston & Strawn, and Sophie Shi and Jolie Yan joined the team from YuandaWinston in April 2021.

In January 2022, the firm announced its merger with Shanghai Young-Ben Law Firm, whose partners, business departments and administrative teams joined Han Kun Law Offices. The firm has also grown in its geographic footprint, with new offices in Haikou and Wuhan.

Litigation clients include Guizhou Moutai Winery Group Technology Development, Proof Glass (Shenzhen), Samsung, Shenzhen Xuanyu Technology, Sino-Maple (Jiangsu) and Umicore.

Other notable clients include Baidu, Estee Lauder, Kraft Heinz, Sandvik and Sohu.

Client feedback

“Professional, timely and efficient.” – Commercial and transactions

“The firm understands customers and gives professional advice with smooth communication skills. They charge reasonably.” – Government and regulatory

“Lawyers from different practices cooperate closely and give prompt feedback.” – Government and regulatory

Wei (Will) Huang

“Understands clients, skilled at communicating with clients, and provides prompt responses.”

David Tang

“Provides efficient and rational legal recommendations.”

Ying Yang

“Prompt responses, highly professional. Always able to provide reliable legal recommendations.”

Zhihan Zhao

“Professional and efficient.”

Founded in 2010, Hengdu Law Firm is a comprehensive law firm that provides various legal services in 47 practice areas. The firm hosts more than 600 attorneys with 42 offices across China, which positions it to properly serve both domestic and international clients. The firm mainly devotes itself to commercial and transactional disputes, particularly active in areas such as capital markets and corporate and M&A.

Founding partner Fengtao Jiang specialises in litigation and IP and senior partner Chao Xi is an expert in commercial transactions and construction-related disputes.

During the research period, the firm acted for Nanjing Kuozhi against Xiamen Runjing in investment agreement and repurchase agreement disputes; and also acted for Henan Haiyun against Eagle Property and Eagle Real Estate in a premises lease agreement disputes.

Notable clients include Sinopec, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Construction Bank, CITIC and China Construction Bank.

Client feedback

“The feedback is timely and problem-solving ability is professional, and also the service attitude is very good. Overall, the firm can effectively solve our doubts and problems.” – Intellectual property

Hylands Law Firm is a full-service firm founded in 1990. With more than 20 offices in China, the firm serves its clients across commercial litigation, IP disputes and construction and real estate disputes.

Partner Yu Xu is a key partner in the firm’s dispute resolution practice and has extensive experience in commercial disputes, especially active in banking and finance-related matters.

During the research period, the firm represented Tahoe Investment Management (Kunshan) on an Rmb1 billion ($145 million) corporate bond transaction dispute against Shaoxing Zhongfu Holdings and Jinggong Group. The firm also acted for Shanghai Pangzeng Investment Management Center in a contract dispute case against Guangzhou Ruifeng Group.

Beijing Construction Engineering Group, Huzhou Ronghui Jiaheng Finance Leasing, Suzhou Gold Mantis Construction Decoration and Xinyi Investment Management Consulting (Tianjin) are key clients.

Client feedback

“Since Hylands Law Firm was included in the roster of bankruptcy administrators, our court has entrusted the firm to handle dozens of bankruptcy cases. The firm has a professional bankruptcy team as its support, with all-round and multi-level professional knowledge and skills. It smoothly promotes the court's work in the field of bankruptcy, and better promotes the optimisation of the business environment in Wenzhou.” – Insolvency

Xiao Han

“Xiao Han actively cooperates with our court and handles cases conscientiously. Our court highly recognises her work ability and work level. Under her leadership, the bankruptcy team of Hylands Law Firm has also obtained outstanding work performance and extremely high external reviews.”

Full-service firm Jincheng Tongda & Neal represents a diverse group of clients in key litigation areas, including commercial litigation, international arbitration, real estate and construction. The Beijing headquarters is especially active in finance, investment and general business-related disputes.

Zhen Zhao is one of the key contacts to note in its Beijing office and he mainly focuses on commercial disputes and construction and real estate. 

Last year, the firm represented Guangzhou Junxing Business Service company and won the Supreme Court's ruling on the retrial of the Qinling Villa District project. The case has been ongoing for 16 years and the relevant laws and policies have been updated. It covers complex legal relationship issues, including on equity transfer, guarantee, real estate cooperative development, and construction land use right transfer.

The firm’s key clients include Five Star Holdings Group, Guangzhou Yunshuo Technology Development, Hanlin Hui Information Industry and Tianjin Haitai Investment Guarantee. 

In 2022, the firm hired 11 partners to strengthen its capacity in commercial disputes, regulatory, cross-border disputes, criminal disputes and IP.

Jingtian & Gongcheng’s Beijing headquarters has won praise from the market as one of the leading commercial disputes firms. Its litigation team specialises in resolving legal matters relating to trade, investment, corporate business, finance and insurance. The firm is also growing its presence in the real estate and construction space.

Partner Chungang Dong is a key name within the dispute resolution group, and he is known for his capability in commercial disputes and international arbitration.

Among the general commercial disputes, the firm advised CITIC Securities (Hong Kong) in filing a cross-border guarantee contract dispute in Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court, which involved a relatively complex financing arrangement with an amount exceeding HK$40 million ($5 million). In another case, the firm acted on behalf of Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional and filed a lawsuit against its licensee and guarantor in Wuhan Intermediate People's Court regarding a licence agreement.

In intellectual property, the firm represented terminal manufacturer OPPO in patent infringement lawsuits concerning speech codec technology against Advanced Codec Technologies. This is the first case where a US non-practicing entity (NPE) has initiated a patent infringement lawsuit in China against a Chinese entity. It is believed the result will have a material impact on the speech codec technology market in China. The firm also represented Ningbo Kotian in a dispute with Hitachi Metals Corporation over the abuse of dominant market position.

During the research period, the firm welcomed a number of new partners: Kaiyuan Gao, Chunhui Fang, Min Xu, Clare Lee, Wei Sun and Hui Yang.

The firm’s litigation clients include Aha Entertainment (Shanghai), Beijing Huaye Capital Holdings, Beijing Institute of Architectural Design, Guangdong Chigo Air Conditioning and Guangdong Guangzhou Daily Media.

Client feedback

“Professional due diligence and excellent communication skills.” – Commercial and transactions

“Responsive, professional and dedicated with good communication skills.” – Government and regulatory

Chungang Dong

“Highly efficient and professional, always responding to client needs as promptly as possible and doing everything possible to protect clients’ rights and interests.”

Jian Hu

“A very smart and hard-working man. He is calm under pressure.”

Xinqian Li

“Lawyer Li of Jingtian & Gongcheng has represented our company in many major difficult litigation cases. During our cooperation, Li has analysed legal issues thoroughly and covered all the detailed facts on the case. During each case, she thoroughly impressed our company with her grasp of the process, professionalism and accuracy in handling litigation documents, and comprehensive client service. Overall, she demonstrated her broad litigation experience, ability to focus intensely on cases, and the professionalism and personal character of an excellent litigation lawyer. Many cases represented by lawyer Li saw favourable results, fully meeting the business goals of our company.”

JunHe, a Beijing-headquartered full-service law firm, is highly regarded for its commercial and intellectual property disputes. The commercial disputes team regularly acts for banking, investment, and insolvency litigation matters, while the IP team is active on trademark, copyright and anti-unfair competition.

Key partners include commercial dispute specialists Yanli Zheng and Weining Zou, construction and engineering law expert Elvis Zhou as well as labour and employment practitioner Hongjuan Bai.

Commercial disputes during the research period include representing a geothermal energy development joint venture between a Sinopec subsidiary and Iceland's Arctic Green Energy to petition for administrative reconsideration of the local government's decision to rescind the franchise agreement and revoke the administrative licence for franchise. The firm also assisted Golden Arches (McDonald’s China) in winning the second instance of a lawsuit regarding environment protection and public welfare.

On the IP front, the firm represented tech giant Amazon in the final trial of the patent invalidation case before the Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People's Court. The firm’s patent team received two final judgments from the court, which upheld two invalidation decisions made by the Patent Re-examination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office and the first instance decisions with respect to such invalidation decisions made by the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, and upheld the invalidation of two patents of a non-practicing entity company.

The firm’s dispute resolution team has experienced noticeable growth in the past 12 months, with Xiao (Arthur) Dong and Huili (Vicky) Zhao joining from AnJie Broad Law Firm as partners, Jia (David) Gu joining from TianTong Law Firm, and Zhengdong Liu and Chenghao Li joining from MHP Law Firm. Partners Chenguang (Leon) Liu and Carol Sun from YuandaWinston complete the recent additions. The firm’s IP team  has welcomed Junlin Pan from Ming & Sure Law Firm as partner.

The firm’s recent client roster includes Export and Import Bank of China (Jiangxi branch), JLG Industries, Mendes SA and Oceanwide Holdings.

Client feedback

“The firm’s performance throughout the legal proceedings of securing the defendant’s assets in China were impressive.” – International arbitration

Yongqiang Yu

“He is good at communication and managing the legal team.”

Beijing-headquartered JunZeJun Law Offices is a full-service law firm with 11 offices in China. Its dispute resolution team is active in commercial and contract-related conflicts, cross-border matters, local arbitration proceedings and government procurement disputes.

In its Beijing office, notable key contacts include partner Weigang Shi, who is active in commercial disputes matters, and managing partner Xiuming Tao, who specialises in financial litigation and international arbitration.

In commercial disputes, during the research period the firm acted in a dispute over the letter of guarantee between its client, the Bank of Beijing Lvgang sub-branch, and five defendants including CITIC Guoan Group. Due to inconsistencies in the content of the guarantee contract between the two parties, there were gaps in the defendants’ version, which the defendants tried to use as a reason to get rid of its liability to pay.

In construction and real estate, the firm acted for a real estate company in Shenzhen in an equity transfer dispute involving land transactions. The case involved complex disputes over the ownership of compensation rights after the adjustment of land planning. The case is still ongoing.

Lawyers who have joined the firm as partners during the research period include Liangyong Liu, Fei Li, Shengli Wang, Yi Chang, Yi Li, Lianfeng Zhang, Pan Xiao and Helou Huang. The firm has also promoted 16 partners. In May 2022, it set up a new office in Nanchang to enhance the legal resources integration ability and brand influence in central east China.

Notable IP clients include Dyson Technology, Guangzhou Duoyi Network, Guangzhou Ewan Network Technology and Shanghai Ewan Information Technology Group.

Client feedback

“They provided meticulous work and excellent results. The firm helped the company recover a lot of losses.” – Commercial and transactions

“With excellent legal expertise and rich work experience in the non-performing asset disposal business, the firm put forward unique solutions for large-scale, difficult-to-dispose and complex-transaction projects, and actively safeguarded our interests. They never shrink back in the face of problems, they strive with reason instead, and finally achieve the expected goal through unremitting efforts.” – Commercial and transactions

“Professional, serious and efficient.” – Construction

“The service is meticulous and attentive with a detailed work report issued for our company at each stage. They provide timely feedback and have strong professional ability. The team led by Lianfeng Zhang is not only familiar with laws and regulations, but also in the understanding of the specific application mode in practice. The case is basically carried out according to the lawyer's original idea, and the preliminary results have been satisfying so far.” – Construction

“You don't have to worry about cases that are entrusted to JunZeJun. They are very good.” – Construction

Yi Chang

“Highly professional and detail oriented. We feel secure letting her handle even the toughest cases.”

Hongmei Cheng

“When representing us, she sorted through every detail of the work and offered professional legal recommendations. She also took part in business negotiations, safeguarding our interests and achieving satisfactory results.”

“She represented us in the Hanzhong City Construction Investment & Development dispute. She provided outstanding and well-prepared representation.”

“She represented our company in litigation, preservation and execution of our existing risk. She handled the cases with dedication, professionalism and high efficiency.”

Na Lv

“Handles assigned work meticulously and completes it on time with high quality.”

Zhe Song

“Professional, earnest and efficient.”

Lianfeng Zhang

“Dedicated and professional.”

“Lawyer Zhang is sincere and dependable. Even before representing us, he had already combed through many facts and evidence relating to the case, breaking complicated issues into a clearer structure that made it easier for us to determine our litigation plan. In representing our case, Zhang was hard-working and responsible, always answering our inquiries and keeping us updated at every stage so we knew how the case was going. I am very moved by Zhang’s level of professionalism and would like to have him represent us in any future cases.”

“A comprehensive lawyer with solid professional knowledge. Highly experienced, sincere and responsible. Capable of not only providing comprehensive legal service solutions but also professional recommendations for our company from a business perspective.”

King & Wood Mallesons maintains its position as one of the dominant players in China’s legal market, and its Beijing headquarters is highly praised by peers and clients. The Beijing litigation teams are particularly sought after by major domestic and international banks, leading financial institutions, government-linked companies and other multinational companies in China. The firm is also well-recognised for its work in international arbitration, asset management and securities litigation and compliance.

Key Beijing partners include commercial disputes partners Shouzhi Zhang and Yuwu Liu and IP disputes partners Zhongsheng Li and Jing Xu. 

During the research period, the firm represented a few companies on disputes arising from misrepresentation in the securities market and dozens of contract and loan disputes.

In government and regulatory, the firm advised a Chinese bank on handling the ESG investigation initiated by the Office of the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO), the environmental and social responsibility supervisory body of the World Bank Group. This case is the first in which the CAO has received complaints against a Chinese enterprise and involves IFC’s largest and most controversial equity investment in China.

In international arbitration, the firm acted for Chinese public education institution CEIBS Publishing Group as the claimant against Chengwei as the counterclaim respondents in a United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (arbitration administered by HKIAC concerning a dispute arising from a quitclaim that was executed in a cross-border composite transaction. This case also involves court proceedings and winding-up procedure in Hong Kong and potential PRC court proceedings in parallel with the arbitration.

KWM's clients include PRC companies, international companies, large financial institutions, and governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Client feedback

“They are professional and also provide additional services such as free training.” – Commercial and transactions

“The dispute resolution team is very professional and their level of understanding of products is at the forefront of the market.” – Commercial and transactions

“Professional service and timely feedback. Ability to consider issues from the customer's point of view.” – Commercial and transactions

“In the field of intellectual property, there is a comprehensive one-stop IP service, which can provide excellent lawyers in various fields and specialties in the entire chain to provide overall solutions. The lawyers who provide services are patient and meticulous, with high professional standards.” – Intellectual property

Jia (Jessica) Fei

“She is able to consider problems from the client’s perspective and provide prompt responses.”

Feng (James) Guan

“Coordinated KWM's overall resources to assist clients.”

“Lawyer Guan is very professional and he is one of the best lawyers when it comes to handling disputes over derivatives.”

Dongxia Xia

“She has the ability to resolve legal issues related to business and lawsuits for small and medium shareholders.”

Lantai Partners is a Beijing-based full-service firm dedicated specifically to commercial and financial litigation legal work. Its dispute resolution practice covers various types of contractual disputes, commercial and corporate disputes, bank loans and guarantee disputes, and construction contract disputes. The firm has also established a compliance department, which is a cross-departmental team dedicated to the legal work of compliance-related research and businesses.

Xiaomin Yao and Qing Wang are key figures for commercial disputes. 

Some of the commercial disputes during the research period include acting for CNNC Jianzhong Nuclear Fuel in a contract dispute against Sichuan Xinpeng Real Estate Development; advising the Xiamen branch of China CITIC Bank on a series of financial loan contract disputes against Xiamen Yuansheng Real Estate and Xiamen Yongrong Real Estate; and acting for Tongfang Investment in an arbitration case of entrusted financial management agreement dispute.

The firm’s dispute resolution team has welcomed Jinchuan Luo, Yingjuan Guo and Yunfeng Du in the past 12 months.

Key clients include China Development Bank, China Construction Bank, CITIC Trust and Minmetals International Trust.

Lifang & Partners’ core strength lies in intellectual property and it enjoys a stellar reputation in the telecommunications, industrial manufacturing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and alternative energy and new media spaces. Guanbin Xie is a key contact for IP disputes.

Known for its stellar intellectual property practice, Liu Shen & Associates has breadth and depth of capability to provide clients with the full spectrum of IP-related legal services, including patents and trademarks, copyright and anti-unfair competition. The firm is well placed to advise clients across a balanced spread of contentious and non-contentious IP work, with exceptional strength in patent-related matters.

Fengbo Tao heads the team that includes partners Qing Ge, Kai Yang and Guanyang Yao.

In late 2021, the firm represented Aux Group in a patent infringement case. The amount of damages in this case was the peak of patent infringement litigation in the field of home appliances, and the method of calculating damages for patent infringement now provides guidelines for patent infringement litigation.

In addition, the firm acted for Samsung against Huawei in patent licensing litigation. The case dealt with complex legal issues such as the identification of patents and trademarks, the appraisal of communications and software technologies, and the application of FRAND rules. The firm also represented Aux against Gree in patent infringement litigation, and advised Aegis Luxembourg in a dispute regarding patent invalidation.

Beijing-headquartered TianTong Law Firm is a widely recognised litigation boutique in the country. In particular, it focuses on major and complex commercial dispute resolution before the highest level of court in China. Since its establishment in 2002, the total value of commercial cases handled by the firm has reached tens of billions of yuan, and 30 cases have been selected as landmark cases by the Supreme People's Court of China.

Partner Yaoquan Chen is a leading and respected figure in the market, mainly known for commercial disputes.

During the research period, the firm represented Foton Motor in a share rights transfer case with great deal value. It also assisted a heavy industry company win a processing contract case, resolving a dispute that had been going on for more than 10 years.

Key clients include the People's Bank of China, Electric Group, Dalian Wanda Group and Evergrande Group.

Client feedback

“TianTong Law Firm once provided services for our company in an equity transfer dispute, including arbitration and enforcement procedures, and helped our company successfully recover the transfer price and corresponding liquidated damages in full. During the period, I was deeply impressed by its lawyers’ ability to adapt in court and the work mechanism of sorting out and summarising after court.” – Commercial and transactions

“With a solid legal foundation and careful work, the firm is able to provide high-quality services for dispute cases.” – Commercial and transactions

Hao Li

“Solid legal knowledge, highly professional, exceptionally eloquent, detail-oriented when it comes to case analysis, and able to provide professional legal services for controversial cases.”

Zhen Wang

“Highly professional and responsive with good teamwork coordination.”

Tiger Partners is a young boutique law firm founded in December 2019, focusing on civil and commercial dispute resolution for Chinese enterprises, financial institutions and foreign corporations.

Founding partner Yuxuan Liu is active in litigation relating to private equity, company equity and control rights, media and entertainment, real estate and construction projects.

The firm is advising a subsidiary of an investment institution that is requesting a state-owned financial institution to vacate the property and pay a royalty fee for possession. It is also working with a domestic environmental sanitation enterprise to file a lawsuit over an equity transfer dispute.

Notable clients include Youdu Xiaoman Finance, Paradise Silicon Valley, Yuanjing Venture Capital, Tiger Securities, Guoke Investment and Qiqin Technology.

The firm hired Zoe Zhang from Zhong Lun Law Firm’s dispute resolution team.

Zhong Lun Law Firm continues to enjoy a coveted position as one of the strongest and most in-demand litigation powerhouses in China. As the headquarters, Zhong Lun’s Beijing office has the strongest specialties and is highly ranked across all categories, including commercial disputes, construction and real estate, international arbitration and intellectual property.

Key individuals include Lijun Cao, Xiangwen Liu and Ping Gu, who specialise and are known for international arbitration, commercial disputes and intellectual property, respectively.

In the international arbitration space, during the research period the firm provided legal services for a state-owned metallurgy enterprise on a $25 million international arbitration against a Pakistan public-listed steel company. In October 2022, the tribunal issued the final award that upheld all the claims of the client and dismissed all the counterclaims brought by the respondent.

In construction and real estate, the firm represented Beijing Shougang International Engineering Technology in the litigation proceedings before Xinjiang High People’s Court (first instance) and the Supreme People’s Court (second instance) regarding a letter of guarantee in an overseas construction project. This is China’s first litigation between the bank and an applicant of independent guarantee arising from a contract of issuance of independent guarantee.

In intellectual property, it represented Qiaodan Sports in several high-profile celebrity name and reputation rights civil suits against Michael Jeffrey Jordan, which are now ongoing in the Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court, together with several trademark administrative cases in Beijing IP courts. This series of cases is one of the largest trademark disputes in the history of trademark administrative litigations in China.

Important clients include Beijing Benz Automotive, Cinda Financial Leasing, Founder Technology Group, Guangdong Huaxing Bank and Shenzhen Prosunpro Solar Energy.

Client feedback

“Zhong Lun's litigation strategy and work details are impressive with a high degree of cooperation, professionalism and dedication.” – Commercial and transactions

“Wide-ranging vision of legal affairs. Professional and timely responses. Control and synchronisation of details. Real-time services for the clients.” – Commercial and transactions

Lijun Cao

“Lawyer Cao demonstrated exceptionally high emotional intelligence and professionalism in formulating litigation strategies and listening to clients' opinions and proved to be very skilled in processing documents.”

Changyu Fu

“Lawyer Fu is a clear-headed quick thinker who is highly cooperative, and skilled and professional in problem solving.”

Catherine Sun

“Helped us find a lower cost, more efficient solution and quickly implement it. Very professional and positive attitude, excellent service and control of details. Dedication to protecting assets and constantly pressuring the other side.”

Decai Zhang

“He knows the commercial reality very well, and has depth of knowledge of the legal frame and practice in China, and always provides the most practical and effective advice to clients.”

Yuru Zuo

“Professional and meticulous legal analysis.”

Zhong Yin Law Firm has extensive experience in bankruptcy reorganisation and liquidation. It is particularly skilled at handling dissolution and liquidation, bankruptcy liquidation, reorganisation, reconciliation, enterprise restructuring, debt restructuring and resettlement of employees of state-owned enterprises and relevant legal business.

Partner Xinjian Yuan is the director of the firm’s bankruptcy department. Other key partners include Zhenyu Liu, Zetao Wu and Penghe Yan.

Insolvency highlights include acting as the bankruptcy manager of the merger and bankruptcy reorganisation cases of Hongye Chemical Industry Group and 28 other enterprises; acting on the bankruptcy liquidation case of Beijing Tianrui Xiaguang Technology Development; and advising Tangshan Fuqiang Real Estate Development on its bankruptcy reorganisation case.

China Minsheng Bank (Tianjin branch), Shandong Baisheng Biotechnology, Shandong Yucheng Huaxin Investment, Shenji Group Kunming Machine Tool and Zhonghang Shixin Energy Saving Technology (Beijing) are some of firm’s key clients.

Client feedback

“Professional and experienced in labour disputes. The lawyers provide timely feedback, and they also propose feasible solutions according to the individual characteristics of our unit.” – Government and regulatory

Yu Wang

“Because of a very limited time from the successful bid to project sign-off, lawyer Wang worked overtime and repeatedly revised the contract and provided legal advice. He has provided professional and strong legal support throughout the project sign-off, which has played a major role in the smooth implementation of project construction compliance.”

“Lawyer Wang is serious, responsible, professional and meticulous in his work. He looks for evidence in the details that is beneficial to the client, and preserves the client’s legal rights and interests. All the documents related to my work are standardised, clearly marked, and the work is very efficient.”

“Provided legal support for the general contracting of our company’s projects. After completing this legal service, Lawyer Wang followed up on the progress of the project and provided legal assistance when needed.”

Baoquan Yang

“Yang has a good understanding of our firm because we have worked with him for so long, which makes for smooth communication. He is able to provide targeted and effective solutions as soon as we put forward our needs. In addition, he has exceptional professional expertise, especially in personnel and labour disputes. He has solid professional knowledge and a wealth of practical experience. Therefore, he can easily handle consultations or lawsuits raised by our firm and offer more targeted solutions. He is successful in the vast majority of litigations.”