Shanghai

AllBright Law Offices is one of Shanghai’s largest full-service law firms with more than 100 partners in the city. The dispute resolution team is known for its work in commercial disputes and is also active in numerous practice areas, such as construction and real estate, and intellectual property.

The firm is home to litigation stars Rui Guo and Fang Cao, who specialise in commercial disputes. Meanwhile, construction and real estate expert Yun Li is another key name to note within AllBright.

In commercial disputes, the firm acted for CITIC Securities in a stock pledge repurchase dispute. The deal value of this matter is sizeable and involves complex calculations of repurchase interest and liquidated damages. The team also provided legal service for the financial consumer disputes arising from the asset management scheme of Debon Securities and Zhongzhou Futures.

In intellectual property, the firm represented Hellobike to file a lawsuit against Quannengche for infringement of internet service trademark and unfair competition. As the first unfair competition case in the bike-sharing industry in which the revised Internet Special Article of the Law of the People's Republic of China Against Unfair Competition could be applicable, this case had great social impact.

Bansbach Easylift, Hwabao Securities, Shanghai Fengke Biotechnology and Shenzhen Linlixin Technology are notable clients.

Client feedback

“The professional advice on bankruptcy reorganisation, debt relationship sorting and analysis are excellent.” – Commercial disputes

“Professional legal service capability, timely legal risk notification, and multi-faceted experience in handling financial cases effectively help our company to smoothly resolve risks.” – Commercial disputes

“They can respond promptly and with a deep understanding of legal theory, they can point out the core legal problems and give solutions. With both legal and business thinking, the team can consider the problems from the company’s perspective, combine with the actual situation of the company, and give reasonable legal advice.” – Commercial disputes

“It provides professional services.”  – Commercial disputes

You Zhang

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

Fang Cao

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

Sheng 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 in foundational 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.”

Bohe & Hansen was established in October 2020, formed by the merger of two boutique firms named Bohe Law Firm and Hanshang Law Firm. The firm covers 15 practice areas including corporate governance, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property. Among them, dispute resolution is the core practice area.

The manager partner Rong Wang focuses on commercial litigation, arbitration and criminal defence, while the senior partner Sai Ma specialises in commercial affairs, intellectual property, competition law and corporate equity disputes. The firm’s clients are from various industries, such as real estate, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, industrial design, banking, insurance, private equity funds, information technology and cultural media.

In 2021, the firm represented Bohai International Trust against China Railway Ruicheng Property on a financial loan contract dispute, and acted for Zhongke Construction against Xinkong Group on a shareholder qualification dispute. The latter[WC(1]  has significance for future judgements of similar cases. It confirmed the identity of the client's controlling shareholder through an effective judgement, avoiding the loss of huge state-owned assets.

Key clients include China Jinmao, Panasonic, Fuji Medical Equipment and China Pacific Insurance Group.

Boss & Young is a full-service law firm based in Shanghai. The firm sees dispute resolution as one of its core strengths. It focuses on disputes in the fields of securities, equity, investment funds, real estate, and labour and employment. The firm’s clients are mainly large private, public and state-owned companies.

Guofei Lu is the managing partner of the firm, and he is an expert in the construction and real estate industry, having experience in real estate development and operations, PPP projects, real estate investment and financing. In addition, Lei Shi, Yuzhong Wang and Wei Zou are key names at the firm. They are partners of the dispute resolution team, specialising in commercial and transactions battles.

During the research period, the commercial disputes team acted for China Machinery Guoneng Electric Power Engineering against Huimin New Energy Technology and Xintai Minglin Photovoltaic Power Generation on a construction project contract dispute; represented Zhongyang Ecofish and China Pacific Property Insurance Shipping Insurance Business Operation Center in a marine insurance contract dispute; and assisted Minmetals Company against Jindaxin Company on a contract dispute.

In construction and real estate, the firm represented Zhongxian International and Shanghai Dazhan Investment against China Construction Fourth Engineering Bureau in a lawsuit involving mutual claims in the disputes over the construction contract of “Hopson International Plaza”. The case lasted five years and ended with a satisfactory outcome for the client.

In intellectual property, the firm represented iQiyi against a major online platform over the Australian Open’s copyright and unfair competition disputes. The case basically paved the way for the copyright protection of tennis events and is still ongoing.

In 2022, the firm hired Yusen Wang and promoted Gang Li to the partnership.

An intellectual property boutique with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities, China Patent Agent (HK) is one of the oldest and largest IP litigation shops in China. Over the years, the client base of the firm has been mainly foreign companies from Europe, America and Japan.

In the Shanghai office, Liang Wang is an excellent litigation lawyer, and he mainly focuses on the electricity sector of the intellectual property practice.

In late 2021, the firm represented a pharmaceutical machinery company, the patent owner, successfully overturning the invalidation decision issued by the CNIPA (China National Intellectual Property Administration) and assisted the client in filing a dispute.

The firm acted for Darwin Technologies, a European manufacturing company that won its case over an indirect patent infringement in the 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, KPN and Powertech Industrial.

Founded in 1992, City Development Law Firm continues to win praise from the market as one of the leading construction and real estate firms. Over the years, the firm has handled complex and novel contentious issues across a wide swathe of construction and real estate practice areas, such as disputes in construction and infrastructure, real estate investment, PPP projects and real estate investment trust funds.

The team consists of many leading names such as Wanquan Shao, Shuying Zhu, Rubo Han and Zhongchun Song.

During the research cycle, the firm represented real estate company Fineland’s subsidiary, the contract letting party, in suing China Construction Fourth Engineering Division, the contractor, for liquidated damages for overdue payment. The deal value is massive and the case is ongoing.

Important clients include Shanghai Stock Exchange, China Offshore Construction Engineering Fourth Construction Group, China Financial Futures Exchange, and Shaanxi Construction Engineering Installation Group.

Client feedback

“They are experienced and have a very deep understanding of professional knowledge in the field of construction engineering.” – Construction and real estate

“The firm provides complete types of legal services for urban and rural development, and strong professionalism of legal services for construction projects.” – Construction and real estate

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.”

“He provides litigation representation services. He is a very responsible lawyer well-versed in engineering who considers problems from the perspective of the client and addresses clients’ actual needs.”

Dentons China is one of the largest law firms in China. The leader of the firm’s Nanjing office in the area of construction and real estate is Wang Shidu.

During the research period, the firm handled construction contract disputes and lease disputes, all of which were confidential cases.

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 transactions 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 $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 a 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 variety of practice areas in China. Its Shanghai office was founded in 1998 and currently hosts 170 lawyers. It has an active disputes practice in the areas of commercial and transactions, and intellectual property. 

The managing partner Junqi Wang is a key name of DeHeng Shanghai’s disputes team, and he specialises in commercial disputes and international arbitration. Xinliang Tao is an expert in the IP area.

In commercial disputes, the team represented ChangYuan Technology Group, a smart grid equipment manufacturer, in responding to a series of securities misrepresentation dispute. The case arose from a performance compensation agreement between the client and its subsidiary, in which the subsidiary falsified contracts and financial data to achieve performance targets, making the client’s financial data inaccurate. The case is ongoing.

In intellectual property, the team acted for Suzhou Minxin Microelectronics Technology against GoerTek in a series of patent ownership, patent application ownership, patent identification, and unfair competition disputes; and it also represented Xinye Electronics against Guowei Ceramics in a patent infringement dispute.

Representative clients include Huawei, ZTE, Baidu, China Three Gorges Group, and Tianjin Binhai Development Zone Infrastructure Center.

The firm hired four partners in 2022: Haixia Dai, Yan Huang, Linqi Wang and Zhimiao Zhang, while four other partners left.

Fangda Partners has developed into one of the most comprehensive law firms in China, particularly in East China, where it is one of the area’s dominant players. Recognised by Benchmark Litigation as one of the top firms in the country, Fangda has strength in almost every practice area, such as commercial disputes, intellectual property, international arbitration and compliance.

In its Shanghai office, notable contacts include partner Nuo Ji and Benjamin Miu, who are active in commercial disputes, and Richard Lin, who is a key partner for contentious intellectual property.

During the research period, the commercial disputes team in Shanghai acted for Shanghai Jinxin Investment and Everbright Jinhui Investment Management (Shanghai) to bring a lawsuit against Baofeng Group and its actual controller before the PRC Supreme Court, and represented an individual client in a series of litigations concerning disputes over corporate governance.

In intellectual property, the team represented Tsuburaya in filing and handling copyright litigation and liaised with foreign legal experts for foreign legal opinions in support of the Chinese litigations. Also, it advised Intel in the two patent infringement suits initiated by VLSI. This case is one of most high-stakes cases in patent field worldwide.

Alibaba Group, Giorgio Armani, Nanjing Skytech Technology and Watson Pharmaceuticals are the firm’s key clients.

In 2022, the firm promoted three dispute resolution lawyers Sophia Feng, Yang Liu and Wang Zhang to partnership.

Client feedback

“Very professional and reliable, and very responsive.” – Commercial disputes

Bo Zhou

“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.”

Heidi Zhang

“Heidi provides timely responses and professional services.”

Founded in 2007, Glinks law firm has around 80 lawyers with a focus on compliance, maritime regulatory, international trade, investment, M&A, IP and capital markets.

The firm represented an A-share and H-share dual-listed pharmaceutical company in a dispute over the foreign registration of a biosimilar. This case is China’s first cross-border biosimilar registration billion-RMB level dispute.

Notable clients include China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machiner Company, China Railway Engineering Group and American International Group AIG.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Grandall Law Firm is a leading name in commercial dispute resolution, renowned for its expertise in arbitration, banking and finance, equity capital markets, aviation, real estate, competition law, and insurance.

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

Grandall represented Shanghai Jin Feng Wine, a historic enterprise originally established in 1954 as Shanghai First Food Store and restructured into a public company in 1992. The case arose when Xu et al. claimed inherited shareholder rights based on 1992 paper stocks allegedly owned by Xu’s father, asserting that his initial shareholder registration had been omitted. The plaintiffs also named the People’s Bank of China Shanghai Branch, the original listing authority, as a third party. Faced with missing archival records, partner Zhou Zheren and his team meticulously reconstructed the stock’s issuance history, analysing physical attributes, regulatory protocols, and issuance methods. Their efforts successfully disproved the plaintiffs’ claims, leading the court to rule in favour of Jin Feng Wine and reject the inheritance demand.

In a landmark equity transfer dispute valued at Rmb3.4 billion ($466 million), Grandall’s Nanjing office secured a decisive victory for World Group, a leading agricultural machinery company, against Thaihot Group, a former listed real estate firm. The dispute centred on a 2017 agreement requiring Thaihot to pay Rmb3.8 billion for full equity in a real estate project. Amid financial strain and a market downturn, Thaihot halted payments and sought to terminate the agreement. World Group filed suit to enforce a Rmb600 million instalment, while Thaihot countersued to reclaim Rmb2.8 billion already paid. After consolidating the cases, the Supreme People’s Court upheld most of World Group’s claims, rejecting Thaihot’s termination request and affirming the enforceability of the payment obligations.

Grandall’s Hangzhou office represented Hangzhou JinTou Group through a complex Rmb1.1 billion debt restructuring involving Dexin Real Estate and ZheShang Asset. The team resolved a mix of non-litigious negotiations and litigious proceedings, addressing intricate financial and legal challenges to stabilise the client’s position.

The firm defended China Merchants Bank’s Taiyuan branch in a negotiable instruments recourse dispute against Shanxi Property Group. It also represented Guizhou Kaili Rural Commercial Bank in a negotiable instruments financing clash with Hengfeng Bank’s Nantong branch. In another matter, Grandall acted for China Huateng in a circular trade dispute against Shanxi Jianbang Group and Shanxi Tongcai Industry.

The firm’s clients include financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, and multinational corporations, reflecting its broad sectoral influence. Collaborations across its Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou offices, coupled with deep regulatory insights, solidify its reputation as a powerhouse in cross-industry dispute resolution.

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.

The law firm is representing the Beijing branch of China Huarong Asset Management in handling 11 litigation and enforcement cases involving financial non-performing debt recovery disputes, loan contract disputes, and enforcement of notarised creditor instruments. The disputed amount in each case exceeded Rmb200 million ($27.4 million), with the highest case involving nearly Rmb600 million.

The law firm is also representing Western Trust in litigation against debtors involving credit assignment contract disputes and subrogation disputes, with Guantao’s Xi’an and Hangzhou offices assisting in litigation preservation measures. A critical challenge in these cases is determining whether the legal nature of the credit assignment contracts is classified as private lending or financial lending, which directly impacts the judicial ceiling for interest and penalty protections.

The firm’s Shenzhen office represents a leading real estate development company in defending against a group litigation case filed by approximately 40 homeowners. The plaintiffs collectively allege damages due to false advertising, losses from prefabricated decoration, and penalties for delayed delivery. The case requires the firm to rapidly gather evidence and formulate defences amid voluminous case materials. A key challenge lies in the legal classification of prefabricated decoration – an innovative construction method with limited judicial precedents.

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

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, with timely feedback.” – Commercial disputes

Yang Liu

“Professional consultation services and prompt feedback.”

From its Beijing roots, Han Kun Law Offices has emerged as a dynamic force in China’s legal landscape, strategically expanding its lawyer headcount and geographic reach while cementing its reputation across sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare and retail. Renowned for its high-calibre work, the firm is a go-to adviser for complex commercial disputes, particularly in private equity and venture capital, where its innovative strategies and cross-industry insights set it apart.

The Beijing office is anchored by commercial litigation stalwarts Yaxing Zhang and Dong Liu, Yang You, Xianglin Chen and IP authority Yan Wang.

In one publishable flagship matter, the team represented the original shareholders of a subsidiary of a listed Chinese defence conglomerate in a high-stakes equity transfer dispute against a state-linked buyer, which weaponised criminal allegations and financial coercion to suppress the client’s rights. The case highlighted systemic risks faced by private entrepreneurs in regulated industries, where the buyer exploited its privileged position in a state-owned sector to threaten the client with personal liability and asset forfeiture.

On the IP front, Han Kun defends giants such as OPPO, Umicore and Baidu in infringement disputes, combining technical acumen with aggressive enforcement tactics.

Han Kun bolstered its national and international footprint in January 2022 by merging with Shanghai Young-Ben Law Firm, integrating its partners, departments and administrative teams. This was followed by setting up new offices in Haikou, Wuhan, Hong Kong and Singapore, enhancing its capacity to serve clients across Asia.

The Shanghai branch, an extension of Han Kun’s dispute resolution prowess, excels in commercial and IP litigation. One of the key partners, Wei Sun, represented a major state-owned airline in a high-stakes aircraft engine sales contract dispute exceeding Rmb10 million ($1.37 million). The client had listed three aircraft engines for transfer via the Beijing Equity Exchange, where a materials supplier (the plaintiff) submitted a bid and paid a security deposit. After disputes arose over transaction terms, the supplier sued the airline for alleged breaches.

The case centred on two pivotal issues: the binding force of equity exchange transaction rules and the legal nature of the security deposit under Chinese contract law. Han Kun’s team defended the airline by rigorously demonstrating compliance with the exchange’s publicly disclosed transfer procedures and reframing the deposit as a non-punitive performance guarantee. After contested first and second-instance proceedings, the court dismissed all claims against the client, affirming the validity of the exchange’s rules and rejecting the plaintiff’s interpretation of deposit forfeiture clauses.

Han Kun’s client roster spans industries and borders, including Guizhou Moutai Winery Group, Samsung, Estée Lauder, Sandvik and Sohu, alongside financial and tech leaders like Kraft Heinz and Baidu.

In 2024, the firm hired Yang Han from King & Wood Mallesons to strengthen the firm’s criminal law capacity.

Client feedback

“Highly professional, with exceptional experience in international arbitration. Their legal and practical expertise is first-rate, complemented by top-tier responsiveness and service attitude. The partners and team members demonstrate outstanding educational backgrounds, legal acumen and practical skills. The partners not only excel in legal and arbitration capabilities but also possess the strategic vision to align solutions with broader corporate objectives.” – International arbitration

“Han Kun provides reliable expertise in investment, financing, securities and financial matters, offering reasonable fees and high cost-effectiveness.” – Commercial arbitration

“Their profound understanding of cases and legal application led to an ideal arbitration outcome.” – Commercial arbitration

Xianglin Chen

“Chen Xianglin boasts extensive experience in international arbitration and dispute resolution, backed by elite legal knowledge and arbitration practice. His exceptional resources in cross-border arbitration (e.g. Singapore), coordination with arbitrators and institutions, and local office networks set him apart. He combines legal rigour with deep corporate insight, delivering solutions that address both legal and business priorities. Fully committed to client service, he ensures rapid responsiveness, manages teams with precision, and achieves high efficiency. His work – spanning legal research, evidence collection, procedural control, expert arbitrator coordination, and documentation – is impeccably executed. He successfully facilitated a favourable settlement for our company, significantly reducing costs and exceeding expectations.”

Xiaoming Deng

“Deng Xiaoming is widely recognised in the industry for his representation of commercial entities in securities-related disputes, earning high repute and influence. He stays ahead of judicial and industry trends, assisting clients with emerging, cutting-edge, and complex issues. Deng has led teams in resolving numerous groundbreaking securities and financial disputes, many of which lacked precedents and have drawn significant industry attention. His rare blend of practical expertise and theoretical depth, honed through participation in major research projects, allows him to engage directly with regulatory authorities, influencing the formulation and evolution of adjudication rules.”

Yaxing Zhang

“Zhang Yaxing represented our company in a commercial dispute with strong professional capabilities, securing an optimal resolution aligned with our objectives.”

Shanghai HHP Attorneys-At-Law is a boutique law firm that adheres to work in finance-related practice areas such as mergers and acquisitions, finance and investment, and commercial dispute resolution. The firm houses 17 lawyers who provide litigation and non-litigation legal services for European and American enterprises, financial institutions, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises.

Senior partners Jingdong Xu and Yao Rao are key names in general commercial disputes. 

Highlighted cases include advising a confidential client on over 30 lawsuits against four automobile manufacturers in China, involving a total amount over RMB 100 million, and advising a large state-owned construction service provider on an RMB 90million arbitration against domestic contractors.

Key clients include 3M, Aijian Trust, Aishiwei Group and Arburg.

Client feedback

“HHP Attorneys-At-Law has a high degree of legal professionalism. Each lawyer from the firm has excellent legal and communication skills. At the same time, the firm also has a good business understanding ability, and can always provide constructive and comprehensive opinions to help companies find a good balance between compliance and business needs.” – Commercial disputes

“The firm provided us with very satisfactory legal services in the field of dispute resolution litigation. Its lawyers have profound legal foundation and rich experience in dispute resolution and can provide quick response, high-quality analysis opinions and effective results even in the face of very complicated cases. Lawyers are very professional in the industrial products and manufacturing industry as they have rich experience in handling cases, and are familiar with the latest judicial practices. Its litigation experts and experienced lawyers in specific fields can be deployed at any time to complete the joint work in different cases. At the same time, HHP is a member firm of Meritas, and cooperates well with many overseas law firms, and can efficiently resolve cross-border disputes and complete judicial procedures across jurisdictions for us.” – Commercial disputes

Yao Rao

“Rao has well-rounded legal knowledge and can provide clients with comprehensive professional services. He also has an excellent understanding of our business and can provide clients with practical solutions and recommendations.”

“The HHP cross-disciplinary team led by Rao provided our company with extensive and comprehensive legal services. He is honest, responsible, business-savvy and has a hands-on approach, making him an excellent team leader.”

Qian Ma

“Ma Qian is well-versed when it comes to legal knowledge and he has outstanding litigation and excellent negotiation skills. He is highly experienced and has unique insights into dispute resolution. He is very open-minded and can provide creative solutions, making him an excellent litigation lawyer.”

Since its establishment in 1995, Shanghai-headquartered Hiways Law Firm has rapidly flourished into a comprehensive legal services provider with a great reputation at home and abroad.

Zhi Wang is a key partner with focus on private equity and capital markets-related disputes.

During the research cycle, the firm represented an investment company in suing Everbright Capital in a market-influential tort liability dispute. In April 2016, Everbright Capital and Baofeng Group established a fund to acquire 65% share rights of MPS Group, a giant in international sports copyright market. Everbright Capital’s subsidiary acted as the fund manager. After acquisition, MPS Group went bankrupt and Baofeng Group also went into debt.

Hiways’ clients include banks, trust companies, insurance companies, financial leasing companies, and technology financial companies.

Hong Fang Law’s practice is exclusively dedicated to intellectual property. The firm is especially active in litigation for clients in the automotive, communications, construction, energy, pharmaceuticals and software industries. Xu Zhang is the main contact in the firm.

Case highlights include acting on behalf of British multinational alcoholic beverage company Diageo in filing an objection and an application for trademark invalidation against Guangzhou Gangpai Garment; advising South Korean beauty and cosmetics chaebol Amorepacific Corporation on a trademark infringement dispute against Cosmeceuticals (Guangdong); and advising another South Korean cosmetics brand, Innisfree Corporation, on a trademark infringement litigation against Shanghai Pingfan Glasses and Jiangsu Pingfan Glasses.

Some of its most important clients include 3M, Bandai Namco, Hennessy, Hisense Group and Treasury Wine Estates.

Client feedback

“They always offer a tailor-made solution for each situation.” – Intellectual property

Xu Zhang

“Zhang Xu, a partner at Hong Fang Law, is our most frequent contact. His experience and insights in IP practice in the energy industry have been very helpful for us when formulating an IP protection strategy in China.”

Hui Ye Law Firm is a full-service law firm that houses a dispute resolution team of more than 300 practitioners. The team is active in commercial and contract-based conflicts, cross-border matters, intellectual property, construction and government procurement disputes.

In the international arbitration sector, Hui Ye Law Firm is representing German company A in an arbitration case where German company B is claiming a return and refund. This is a typical dispute over the quality of goods in a sales contract. The case dates to the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, when Europe purchased a large number of masks from China. After receiving the goods, the European company raised objections to the quality of the masks. The case involves legal issues such as the standards for proving quality defects and the validity of the quality objections. The outcome of this case will serve as a significant reference for similar cases.

In construction and real estate, the firm advised Shanghai Hongyu Investment and Shanghai Lejinghui Pension Service on a house-leasing contract dispute against Shanghai Shouxuan Building Materials; advised Hubei Xiantao Tourism Investment Group and Hubei Xiantao Real Estate on a construction contract dispute against China Electric Power Municipal Construction Group; and advised CIFI Holdings on judicial auction of land use rights.

Siwei He, as the managing partner of the firm’s Xi’an office represented a Chinese state-owned construction company in a significant construction contract dispute against a Greentown Group subsidiary. Despite the defendant's financial difficulties and commercial risks, the firm secured the preservation of over 100 properties and facilitated a settlement, preventing a substantial loss of state-owned assets.

Previously, in commercial disputes, the firm advised China Pacific Insurance on insurance contract disputes with a factoring company; and also advised Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China on an enforcement reconsideration against an individual.

Clients include China Salt Shanghai Salt Industry, Jiangsu Chimbusco Yangtze Petrochemical, Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center, Putuo branch of Shanghai Public Security Bureau and Shanghai Orient Guoxin Industrial.

Client feedback

"Annual legal consulting services; specialised organisational adjustment and optimisation projects; litigation representation." – Labour and employment

"Understanding the actual situation and business field of the enterprise, combining professional knowledge with business practices, and listening carefully and humbly to the enterprise's requirements." – Real estate

Guibin Hong

"Provides annual labour law consulting services. Professional, detailed, fast response, patient, always supports the company to effectively and smoothly resolve employee labour disputes. Provides labour dispute arbitration case representation services – highly responsible, high win rate. Provides labour law training content, patient, professional, easy to understand, practical and operational, with very practical significance for human resources management. Provides specialised legal cooperation services; meticulous, comprehensive solutions, high cost-effectiveness, high professionalism, and full-process response, ensuring the smooth progress of projects."

Siwei He

"Compliance business, litigation specialisation."

“Provided his opinions in an honest, comprehensive way.”

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 and Liming Ye are key partners in the firm’s dispute resolution practice and have extensive experience in commercial disputes, especially active in banking and finance-related matters.

During the research period, the firm represented dozens of minority shareholders in a class action lawsuit against the listed company China Security for misrepresentation. This case is the first one in which the liability of intermediaries was determined by “proportional joint and several liability” in the field of securities misrepresentation liability disputes in China.

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

“They reviewed and revised equity financing agreements, and strongly defended our company's rights and interests. They provided reasonable advice on potential labor disputes.”–Government and regulatory

“The lawyers have a wealth of expertise, are responsive and client-oriented.” –Construction

Liming Ye

“He reviewed our equity financing agreement carefully and helped our company modify the agreement in our favour.”

“He provides excellent and professional legal knowledge and solutions; reviews contracts quickly, sometimes providing feedback even on Sundays.”

Jin Mao Law Firm, established in 1988, is a law firm offering a comprehensive range of professional legal services. With its head office in Shanghai, Jin Mao has set up operations in Hong Kong and a few offices in Jiangsu.

Key partners include Jun Shi, Zheng Han, and Huigang Mao.

During the research cycle, the firm has handled around 800 disputes, including commercial disputes and arbitration, and real estate, IP and administrative disputes. Highlighted cases include representing Far Eastern International Bank in a series of cross-border financial loan disputes.

They key clients include Adidas, ByteDance, HP and JD.com.

Founded in 2002, Jincheng Tongda & Neal’s Shanghai office hosts 200 lawyers who are active on behalf of local and foreign clients across numerous industries. The team continues to participate in a range of complex, high-profile and high-stakes disputes, especially in commercial disputes.

The disputes team consists of many known names, such as Xiaoqing Chu, Yunyan Zhang, Ping Zhao and Haibo Xu. They have rich experience in commercial disputes and litigation.

During the research period, Jincheng Tongda Shanghai represented CITIC Capital Cultural Tourism (Chengdu) in an equity transfer dispute case against an individual; it represented Minsheng Canada Bank Fund Management in a corporate debt dispute litigation case against Anhui Foreign Economic Construction; and it also represented Sinopec Shanghai Petroleum Sales branch in an administrative investigation of abuse of market dominance by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The firm’s key clients include Fivestar 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, regulatory, criminal, IP and cross-border disputes.

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 represented a fund company in an arbitration case of a price adjustment dispute against two individuals, with a subject amount exceeding RMB 220 million. The court held that the supplementary agreement shall be governed by the laws of mainland China and is valid, confirming that the cornerstone investors may protect their rights and interests through the supplementary agreement in this case. The firm also represented a well-known investment company in its RMB 40 million dispute with an individual, the actual controller of a Hong Kong-listed company.

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.

Based in Shanghai, Joint-Win Partners has comprehensive coverage in the commercial disputes field. The firm is active in matters involving capital markets, corporate, government and intellectual property. It has rich experience in dealing with government agencies, with a strong track record in handling various administrative lawsuits.

One of the key figures at the firm includes Yueguang Zhu, who is a veteran commercial disputes lawyer with a particular focus on finance, administrative and IP law. Hongyi Lu and Zhenming Guan are other senior lawyers to note.

Key work highlights over the 12 months of the research period include acting for Wells Fargo Asset Management in the realisation of special procedures for security interests; representing Zhiang Trading against Yiyuqing Wine Industry in the dispute over the execution of the objection by outsiders; and acting for Postal Savings Bank of China Shanghai Songjiang District branch in disputes with borrowers who transferred mortgaged properties without authorisation.

Joius Law Firm is a Shanghai-based boutique firm dedicated specifically to litigation and dispute resolution in the commercial and transaction sphere. Deying Ding is the director and managing partner.

During the research period, the team provided legal advice over cross-border disputes related to financial loans, contracts, share transfers, and judgments. One highlight includes acting in a contract dispute between Sanrio International Trading Company and another Chinese company.

Top-tier firm JunHe’s Shanghai office is highly regarded for its commercial, construction and intellectual property disputes practices. Key partners include commercial dispute specialists Zhao Wang and Lei Wu.

In 2022, the firm advised a Beijing technology company in a copyright infringement dispute against a Shanghai publishing company. The dispute is relatively rare, and is a dictionary-type copyright infringement dispute due to data crawling. The firm also advised a Chinese subsidiary of a Brazilian construction materials company on regulatory requirements and compliance for its waste recycling program.

Last year, the firm hired bankruptcy focused lawyers Zhengdong Liu, CHenghao Li, Ling Wu and Xi Liu from MHP Law Firm, regulatory experts Chenguang Liu, Bo Sun from Yuanda Law Firm, and Sipei Lu from Simmons & Simmons.

JunZeJun Law Firm is a full-service law firm that prides itself on its capabilities in commercial litigation, arbitration and dispute resolution. Xiuming Tao, Gongyuan Tang, and Zetong Chen are the managing partners in the Shanghai office. They are experts in commercial disputes and international arbitration.

During the research period, the team acted for a bank in a RMB 1 billion arbitration against two listed companies' major shareholders. The team also represented a futures company in an RMB 100 million litigation case involving the transaction of financial derivatives against two other companies. The case was the first lawsuit at the Shanghai Financial Court involving over-the-counter derivatives transactions in the futures market.

Shanghai-headquartered Llinks Law Offices is a well-known, full-service law firm with notable strengths in disputes advisory, commercial disputes and international arbitration. The Shanghai disputes team is active and recognised in a wide range of commercial matters, such as banking, finance and investment.

Peiming Yang, Patrick Zheng and Vincent Mu are key names in the firm, acting as lead partner on most cases in commercial disputes and international arbitrations.

Llinks lawyers recently achieved a significant victory in a patent ownership dispute case where the Supreme People's Court made a groundbreaking decision. Despite the patent being declared invalid, the court ruled that the invention's rights should still be reviewed for other civil rights. This case, involving multiple parties and spanning over a decade, sets a precedent for future similar disputes. The lead lawyer, Xiaoyan Che, has a strong background in science and engineering and specialises in patent and trade secret cases.

The team also secured a win in a copyright non-infringement. The court confirmed that the plaintiff did not infringe on the defendant's copyright and awarded Rmb200,000 ($27,400) for legal expenses. This case, the first of its kind in China, clarified the criteria for evaluating copyright infringement in audio-visual works, focusing on the visual scenes and storytelling, and has been included in the Supreme People's Court's list of typical intellectual property cases.

Additionally, the law firm won a significant case involving unfair competition in the blind box industry, representing the leading brand, Finding Unicorns, against a Hangzhou-based company. The court ruled that the defendant must cease infringement, eliminate the impact, and pay Rmb850,000 in damages. This case addressed the issue of "online blind box pre-sale" practices, which can undermine consumer trust and violate commercial ethics, setting a precedent for industry compliance and consumer protection.

Lusheng Law Firm is an intellectual property firm and a patent agency authorised by the China National Intellectual Property Administration. With headquarters in Beijing, the firm has also set up branches in Shanghai and Guangzhou to provide patent agency services to clients across China.

Carol Wang leads the firm’s Shanghai office.

For IP litigation, the firm successfully represented Spin Master in a dispute over invention patent infringement. Bakugan was one of the most successful toys in history and Spin Master owns the invention patent for Bakugan toys in China. The defendant is one of the top 10 toy companies and the alleged infringing products were one of the most popular toys in China.

Another IP case had the firm representing The Lego Group in a criminal conviction against an individual and his company in Shanghai for counterfeiting service marks. The case was inducted into the ‘Top 11 model cases on IP protection and innovation-driven development released by the Supreme People's Procuratorate’ and ‘2021 Top 10 IP protection model cases of Shanghai courts’.

Notable IP clients include Burberry, Cisco, Guangdong Wonderful Thermal Control Technology, New Balance, Universal Pictures (Shanghai) Trading and Vans.

Merits & Tree Law Offices is active in insolvency and intellectual property disputes. Their assets and bankruptcy restructuring team has extensive experience representing asset management companies, financial institutions and social investors in non-performing assets disposal. The IP practice handles disputes in TMT, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, artificial intelligence, chemicals, and materials. Key partners in Beijing include Zheng Li and Shanshan Ren, while construction experts Hong Lu and Chun Gu also contribute to the firm. In commercial disputes, Merits & Tree is representing Huorong Securities in a stock pledge rights dispute involving MCC Meili Cloud Computing Industry Investment, Qtone Education Group, and Nanjing Inform Storage Equipment Group Co. After obtaining the execution certificate, the firm successfully transferred the disposal rights of the sealed stocks from the Haidian District Court of Beijing and the Intermediate People's Court of Huzhou to the enforcement court. Despite the lack of legal precedent in Beijing for selling unrestricted, freely tradable stocks on the secondary market, Merits & Tree persuaded the judge to use this method, maximising the recovery amount. By 2024, the firm had recovered Rmb400 million ($54.8 million), effectively protecting the client's interests.

In another significant case, Merits & Tree successfully defended Sinopec Lubricant (a Sinopec Group subsidiary) in a landmark Rmb20 billion dispute involving a collapsed circular trading scheme orchestrated by HNA Group affiliates. Initially spanning 28 lawsuits across Shanghai courts, the case was consolidated in Hainan under Supreme People’s Court orders due to its complexity, including disguised lending, unauthorised executive actions, and potential criminal forgery. Merits & Tree exposed the "trade-in-name, loan-in-substance" structure, neutralised evolving legal claims, and secured jurisdictional transfer to avoid systemic bias, ultimately shielding Sinopec from liability while setting precedents for SOE defence against cross-jurisdictional financial fraud.

In the construction sector, the firm represented a construction company in a significant dispute related to a shopping plaza, helping the client avoid a substantial Rmb368 million compensation risk.

In 2024, partners Qi Zhang and Dai Chun joined Merits & Tree in Beijing to strengthen the firm’s dispute resolution capabilities, while Jun Sha and his team joined the firm’s Guangzhou office from King & Wood Mallesons to build up the office’s dispute resolution team.

SGLA Law Firm specialises in a wide range of dispute resolution practices, including litigation, arbitration and mediation. Members of the team often serve on arbitration panels as well as being mediators in local proceedings. The firm is a member of Sino-Global Legal Alliance, which is the largest alliance of Chinese and foreign law firms in China.

Senior partner Bo (Paul) Zhou is the key contact at the firm, a prominent counsel in commercial disputes.

During the research cycle, the firm assisted a stated-owned construction company against a major developer in an equity share and loan dispute. The client took the initiative to choose the jurisdictional court to avoid local protection, and the defendant party deliberately delayed the case hearing and execution process through various means. The team also represented a well-known securities firm in another equity transfer case.

Founded in 2013, Shanghai Beshining Law Office is a full-service law firm focusing on intellectual property. It houses more than 150 lawyers, patent attorneys and legal and technical professionals.

Key names to note include Qi Xue, Shuiping Zhu and Weibin Wang. Xue has expertise in biology, chemistry and food.

During the research cycle, the firm represented a leading intelligent flexible loop line manufacturer in filing a series of patent invalidation requests. The other cases remain confidential but showed its capabilities in handling complex IP-related disputes.

In 2022, the firm promoted four lawyers to the partnership: Mengyuan Li, Hong Yuan, Ling Zou and Qiaoyun He. In 2021, Xiaoraong Wang joined the firm as a senior partner. She has abundant working experience in pharmaceutical companies.

Founded in 2015, Shanghai CILS Law Firm is a rapidly developing boutique firm. As CILS is short for Corporate Integrated Legal Solutions, the firm provides full services to company and individual clients in corporate matters, commercial transactions, IP disputes, investment and financing issues.

The key partners are Yaohui Lou, Yingjie Sun, Yuan Wu and Xiaotao Dong. Lou worked as an Asia legal director for a global fortune 500 company for over 10 years.

Highlighted cases include the team’s representation of Trafigura Group, a leading commodity trading and logistic company, in a civil and commercial dispute over international contracts for the sale and purchase of goods.

With a focus on the construction and real estate sectors, Shanghai-based JianLingChengDa Law Firm has cemented its reputation in navigating such matters, securing landmark victories for clients in high-value disputes before China’s Supreme People’s Court, provincial high courts, and leading arbitration institutions.

The practice is co-led by Jigao (Fred) Zhou, Min Wang, and Lingjun Wang, whose strategic acumen and technical precision have consistently delivered outcomes in the firm’s most demanding cases.

The firm is known for handling construction and real estate disputes with high stakes, intricate factual matrices, and complex legal interpretation challenges.

During the research period, the firm represented China Nuclear Industry Fifth Construction Co. in a critical Rmb1.2 billion ($164 million) engineering payment guarantee dispute. Faced with an insolvent project owner, recovery hinged on enforcing complex, multilayered guarantees involving mixed collateral (property and suretyship), validity challenges, contested guarantee periods, and disputes over liability escalation. The JianLingChengDa team meticulously reconstructed the transaction’s legal framework and commercial context, deploying a dual-track litigation strategy that included alternative claims to safeguard the client’s interests comprehensively. Their efforts culminated in a full victory, with the court upholding 100% of the client’s claims – a decisive outcome that secured vital financial recovery for the client amid the owner’s near-total liquidity collapse.

Client feedback

“JianLingChengDa’s service quality is highly impressive. First, their professional standards are exceptional, with in-depth expertise in construction law practices. Second, their responsiveness is swift, guaranteeing replies within 24 hours. Third, their service attitude is both professional and enthusiastic, proactively identifying potential legal risks and providing preventive advice. Finally, they excel in client communication, translating complex legal terminology into accessible language.” – Construction and real estate

“They excel in both litigation representation and non-contentious legal support throughout project lifecycles, delivering efficient and high-quality results.” – Construction and real estate

“JianLingChengDa’s legal team excels in both professionalism and service attitude. They possess a profound understanding of construction laws and regulations, swiftly identifying risks and offering preventive recommendations. Particularly commendable is their responsiveness – whether for routine inquiries or urgent matters, they consistently provide timely professional advice. Their detail-oriented approach and pragmatic solutions give us full confidence.” –Construction and real estate

“JianLingChengDa delivers legal services that are both professional and efficient. Their mastery of construction law enables them to pinpoint project priorities and challenges, offering practical solutions. Their service attitude is exemplary, always ready to address our queries.” – Construction and real estate

“They have achieved outstanding results in resolving major construction disputes, particularly making groundbreaking progress in enforcement matters.” – Construction and real estate

“First, the lawyers demonstrate strong communication skills, professional competence, and a diligent work ethic, leading to case outcomes that often exceed expectations. Second, the team operates with clear role divisions and leverages individual strengths, creating a formidable service capability that enhances efficiency.” – Construction and real estate

“They are deeply familiar with engineering law and practice. Our company has high standards for legal service quality, and we only outsource complex cases – JianLingChengDa’s handling of these matters has consistently satisfied us.” – Construction and real estate

“Their expertise in construction engineering is undeniable. They communicate effectively with judges, in-house counsel, and project managers, demonstrating both professionalism and approachability, which drives efficiency and collaboration.” – Construction and real estate

Min Wang

“As the lead partner for our construction cases, Wang Min demonstrates exceptional professionalism and dedication. She invests significant effort into each matter, swiftly identifying key issues in complex payment disputes and delivering precise legal analysis. She excels at bridging communication between legal and engineering teams, transforming technical engineering issues into compelling legal arguments during trials. Additionally, she remains accessible 24/7, responding promptly to emergencies.”

“Wang Min excels in project management and team coordination. She approaches work with utmost responsibility and skilfully navigates complex construction legal issues. Her expertise is robust, yet she explains technical matters in client-friendly terms. Her service mindset stands out – she consistently responds promptly to client needs and delivers actionable solutions. Her dedication and professionalism leave a lasting impression.”

“Wang Min exhibits outstanding professional competence in construction contract disputes. Her analysis of case details is thorough, pinpointing critical issues and proposing effective solutions. Her negotiation skills are equally remarkable, having secured favourable settlements for us on multiple occasions.”

Lingjun Wang

“Since 2016, Wang Lingjun and his team have handled the majority of our major litigation and non-contentious project matters. He maintains a 100% success rate in high-stakes cases, even in the most complex and challenging disputes, never backing down until victory is secured. His collaboration with our in-house legal team has earned widespread recognition and trust.”

“The representation outcomes are exceptional, often surpassing expectations. For example, in a design-related case involving over Rmb40 million in combined claims and counterclaims, they not only successfully defended against the primary claims but also secured a Rmb25 million counterclaim victory, delivering outstanding results.”

“They have represented us in multiple major cases, consistently achieving results beyond expectations and securing substantial financial benefits for the company.”

“Wang Lingjun and his team member Chi Yuchao have secured favourable judgments and arbitral awards in our cases, mitigating significant risks and losses. We routinely seek their advice on operational challenges, and they provide constructive recommendations based on management and procedural flaws identified during litigation, enhancing our governance through case insights.”

“Wang prepares cases with meticulous detail. Even when facing complex disputes or assertive judges, he remains composed, communicates effectively with judges and experts, and drives favourable outcomes. In a recent case, he successfully dismissed all counterclaims related to project timelines and quality defects, while also securing advantageous rulings on cost disputes.”

“Their work efficiency, results, and communication throughout the process are highly satisfactory, with reasonable fees. Notably, in a recent enforcement case fraught with challenges, they persuaded judges to adopt additional measures and negotiated with external investors to facilitate substantial repayments.”

“They achieved favourable results in the Shandong Changle engineering dispute series for China Shipbuilding NDRI and provided timely, precise legal consultations.”

“Wang Lingjun’s team has served as our municipal company’s longstanding legal adviser and handled major litigation and non-contentious matters since 2018, earning unanimous praise for their service quality. He is also the preferred counsel for China Twenty Metallurgical Group, achieving excellent results in significant cases across subsidiaries.”

Zixuan Ye

“Ye Zixuan handled the Chongqing Branch case series for China Shipbuilding NDRI with proactivity, professionalism, and initiative. His legal consultations are thorough, and his solutions are practical and actionable.”

Xin Wang

“As a member of Wang Lingjun’s team, Wang Xin has assisted in handling several of our cases over the past two years. She is highly diligent and shows great potential as a lawyer.”

Jigao Zhou

“He represents clients in major cases and enforces challenging judgments.”

“He excels in both litigation representation and non-contentious project matters.”

“Zhou is a leader in the industry, with sharp insights and accurate case predictions.”

Shanghai Jin Kun Law Firm is a full-service law firm focusing on corporate matters, civil and commercial matters, IP laws and criminal laws.

Baotong Xu is a senior partner focusing on international commercial arbitration.

During the research cycle, the firm represented an SOE in declaring the creditor’s right in a commercial court in Azerbaijan. The client has been pursuing this claim for nearly seven years and has entrusted insurance companies and law firms to solve this issue.

The firm opened its Suzhou office in Jiangsu in mid-2022.

Beijing-headquartered Tian Tong Law Firm is a widely recognised litigation boutique. In particular, it focuses on major and complex commercial dispute resolution before the highest levels 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 Zhengyu Xin and Junxiao Yang are key names in the firm’s Shanghai office.

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.

Young-Ben Law Firm launched as a boutique litigation firm approximately 14 years ago. The firm is home for 32 lawyers and 10 partners specialising in financial and commercial litigation. Senior partner Feng Ye is the key name in general commercial disputes and arbitration. 

Last year, the firm acted for a confidential client against Dongfang Chengan Asset Management in a fund contract dispute case, which was a very early case in breach of contract by a private equity fund and there were fewer cases for reference. In addition, the firm also represented Aijian Group in an investment dispute case involving the removal of overseas VIE structures, and eventually forced the plaintiff to withdraw its litigation request against Aijian Group voluntarily.

Key clients include Hong Kong New World Group, Taiwan Shenghui Group and EXIDE.

Client feedback

“The firm follows up the case very closely, understands the industry in-depth with timeliness, and is able to learn new knowledge based on the continuous development of our company. They have in-depth understanding of the industry and familiarity with industry practices and can provide accurate, practical and efficient legal services.” – Commercial disputes

Established as a unique strategic alliance with Winston & Strawn, Yuanda China Law Offices enjoys a reputation as a firm with IP litigation and compliance businesses that are the most comprehensive in terms of practice depth.

Equity partner Hai Jiang is a key name within the firm, and his practice includes commercial disputes, government compliance, intellectual property, international arbitration, and technology and communications.

Last year, the firm represented TCL in multi-patent infringement proceedings in mobile phone and semiconductor manufacturing technologies in the US district courts of California and Texas. The case was important because it marks one of the first Amazon mediation cases for a Chinese company in a new procedure that many more Chinese Amazon sellers may encounter.

Zhong Lun Law Firm has been enjoying the coveted position as one of the strongest and most in-demand litigation firms in China. Its Shanghai office also continues its strong presence in the local disputes market. With strengths in domestic and international litigation, the team regularly represents clients to achieve excellent results in practice areas such as commercial and transactions, construction and real estate, intellectual property, international arbitration and government compliance.

Jun Gao, partner of the dispute resolution team, is recognised for his work in compliance and government regulation. Commercial disputes expert Binbin Sun is another name to note at the Shanghai office.

Last year was a busy year for Zhong Lun’s Shanghai disputes team. In construction and real estate, the firm acted for Jiangsu Xinggang Construction Group on a construction contract litigation against Shanghai Jinya Real Estate Development and represented Suzhou Zhongshe Construction Group on a construction contract litigation against Suzhou Chengtou Real Estate Development.

In government and regulatory, the team provided comprehensive compliance legal services for Gopher Asset Management in dealing with regulatory supervision by the China Securities Regulatory Commission after the promulgation and implementation of the Regulations on Strengthening the Supervision of Private Investment Funds (Document No.71). This case is the first regulatory supervision case after the promulgation and implementation of Document No.71.

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

Client feedback

“They are familiar with professional characteristics, have timely communications, quick responses, and are all highly professional.” – Commercial disputes

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

Yueping Zhou

“Excellent client management, risk management, and professional problem-solving.”

Catherine Sun

“She helped us find a lower cost, with a more efficient solution and quickly implemented it.
She exhibited a very professional and positive attitude, excellent service, and control of details.
She was dedicated to protecting assets and constantly pressured the other side.”