China

With 100 partners and 300 lawyers, AllBright Law Offices’ litigation and arbitration practice is known for its work in commercial disputes. The firm is often 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 most 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 the commercial disputes space, the firm is advising Hongda Xingye on a series of financial loan contract disputes with China Construction Bank and Guangzhou Rural Commercial Bank.

In intellectual property, the firm is advising ASR Microelectronics on a series of trade secrets and patent rights disputes arising from the company’s listing review period. The firm is also representing Hellobike, a bike-sharing online platform, in filing a lawsuit against Quannengche for infringement of an internet service trademark and unfair competition.

Senior partner John Liu left the firm during the research period.

Brother Industries, CITIC Securities, Huawei Technologies and Jiangsu Guojing Holding Group are other notable clients.

Client feedback

“Professional legal service capabilities, timely notification of legal risks, and multi-faceted financial case handling experience effectively help the company 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 Maersk in China for 15 years, giving him a solid understanding of the company’s operations and business model. Lawyer Cao Fang also has experience working with shipping companies, and is able 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 delivers 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 Jonson has 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 lawyer Zhang Sheng. When our company faced an urgent dispute, lawyer Zhang and his team mediated between all parties involved to help us overcome obstacles in a timely and effective manner while protecting our rights and interests. Zhang Sheng is an experienced lawyer and his conduct is excellent. He is always dedicated, honest, and diligent. His profound knowledge in foundational legal theories and abundant practical experience in the field of financial services have allowed him to resolve legal problems and made him an excellent litigator.”

AnJie Broad Law Firm’s rapidly growing dispute resolution team is recognised for its work in international arbitration and commercial litigation, with particular industry expertise in insurance. The firm regularly represents clients before all levels of the court and at various international arbitration institutions – including the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC).

Key partners include renowned international arbitration lawyer Arthur Dong, antitrust and insurance expert Hao Zhan and employment specialist Zhenghe Liu.

On the commercial and transactions front, the firm represented the controller of a listed company in a share transfer dispute against the minority shareholders of a National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEW, known as the New Third Board) listed company. This is the first litigation case arising from a dispute over a tender offer for a New Third Board listed company, so it will offer practical guidance for similar disputes in the future.

In the labour and employment area, the firm represented Ping An Insurance in a labour dispute initiated by a senior management employee. The firm also represented air logistics company DHL in an arbitration against a former employee who sued DHL for alleged backpay and compensation for employment termination.

In the IP space, the firm successfully represented Nanjing Sanhome Pharmaceutical in a patent invalidation case before the Supreme People’s Court of China (SPC). This action is the first civil and administrative cross-over case of chiral drug patents judged before the Intellectual Property Court of the SPC.

AnJie Law Firm and Broad & Bright Law Firm reached a strategic merger agreement in September 2021 and are completing the merger formalities. The two firms will operate officially and legally as one fully integrated law firm by the name of AnJie Broad Law Firm. The firm will maintain its legal qualification, licences and ability to carry on legal services for its clients.

The firm lost IP partner Li Wu to Lifang & Partners in June 2022.

The firm’s clients include China Re Asset Management, China Energy Group Ningxia Coal Industry and Universal Parks & Resorts.

Client feedback

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

Junru Xu

“We were primarily served by lawyer Junru Xu’s team. Lawyer Xu’s team is very professional and gained a deep understanding of our operations and business model, providing services and solutions that meet our needs – rather than legal skills alone. As the company’s long-time legal counsel, lawyer Xu’s team was able to provide swift daily feedback, always offering prompt, professional, comprehensive, and detailed responses within the required time frame. Lawyer Xu’s team was able to provide us with innovative and efficient solutions by collaborating with different branches and partners in different business fields, utilising rich industry resources and resolving problems within the agreed scope and budget. His team actively communicated with us on key issues and trends, and considered and dealt with issues and risks that we didn’t anticipate. In major commercial negotiations, his team helped us gain a great range of different benefits. Everyone praised the way they handled our cases and the results they delivered.”

Labour and employment boutique Baohua Law Firm has found itself a useful niche in the Shanghai legal landscape with its focus on handling contentious work arising from employment issues. Clients rely on the firm for its services in labour disputes including regulatory, contracts and investigation matters.

Runqing (John) Dong and Jay Chen are key contacts for labour and employment issues.

The details of all cases the firm worked on during the research period remain confidential. The cases submitted demonstrated the firm’s capabilities in handling complex labour disputes, including class action disputes and non-compete clause disputes.

Client feedback

“The firm is able to provide comprehensive services on matters including mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, individual cases, and personnel and labour services.” – Commercial disputes

Runqing (John) Dong

“He is able to provide detailed and comprehensive legal analysis and solutions that take the company’s situation into consideration.”

Beijing Cyan Law Firm is well known for construction and infrastructure disputes. It is lauded for its experience in advising on a range of domestic and foreign-related disputes at all levels of the courts. The firm’s clients are mainly large private, public and state-owned companies.

The team is led by Wanhe Ye together with Yinli Gao, both renowned for construction and engineering disputes.

The details of all cases the firm worked on during the research period remain confidential.

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 within a tight time limit.” – Commercial and transactions

“As a result of the in-depth co-operation between our company and the firm’s commercial disputes team, we believe that the team has rich practical experience in disputes related to construction engineering, PPP projects, company law, investment and mergers and acquisitions. They can solve practical problems for our company and can provide professional and executable solutions. The partners, lawyers, and paralegals of the team are all serious and responsible. They have outstanding teamwork capabilities, especially in the arbitration case of franchise projects between our company and the local government, in terms of strategy formulation, legal opinions and legal services. They provided important support for our company 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 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 can start from the customer’s point of view, has rich experience in construction project services, can provide legal advice quickly and comprehensively and can solve many legal issues and disputes in the litigation/arbitration process.” – Construction

“I got the impression that the firm is very experienced, able to meet the needs of customers and helps customers solve problems. In addition, the feedback from the firm is also very timely.” – Government and regulatory

Arthur Chiu

“Highly professional and capable. Follow-up with a clear criteria for structuring on business solutions and dispute resolutions. He has years of experience and is very talented at what he does.”

“Client-orientated, problem solver, reliable and honest.”

“Lawyer Chiu worked with us on dispute resolution and compliance. Throughout the consultation process, I felt that he was very professional. He gave very practical advice that addressed client 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 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 business goals required by our company. He was able to effectively isolate resources from a lot of historical data to lay a solid foundation for commercial solutions.”

Pewei Sun

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

“He was able to utilise his rich experience in industry practice and strong professional skills to establish the core points of the appeal/defence.”

The dispute resolution team at Beijing Grandway Law Offices has extensive experience in commercial litigation and arbitration. It regularly acts for multinational corporations, blue chip companies and financial institutions in matters relating to commercial contracts, securities compliance, investment and financing, and product liability. Gang Xie is a key partner at the firm.

Among the commercial and transaction cases, the firm acted for Tibet Shixin Zhaoyu Investment and Beijing Shixin Dingcheng Investment Center on an Rmb1.47 billion ($214 million) litigation and enforcement case against Zhonghong Zhuoye Group.

The rest of the clients the firm has acted for during the research period remain confidential.

One of the first law firms in China, Beijing Kangda Law 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 is particularly known for its expertise in government and regulatory, and criminal disputes.

Main commercial disputes partners include Yan Lian and Rongkuan Yang. For regulatory matters, senior partner Lina Meng is a key contact.

Case highlights include acting for Beijing Yiyou Go Culture Communication and Nie Qi Sheng Yuan (Beijing) Culture Development in an infringement case involving personal rights, trademark rights and unfair competition; advising Jiangsu Lilan Group on a private loan dispute against Xiamen Jiayuan Real Estate Development; and acting for a tech company on sales contract disputes involving infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of central enterprises.

In the period between June and July 2022, the firm hired Chunxiao Zhao and Weishuang Hou as senior partners from Chongqing Fayuan Law Firm and Anhui Guoyun Law Firm, respectively.

Key clients include Beijing Dongyuan Zhongheng Enterprise Management, China Energy Trading Group, GF Securities and Shanxi CR Liansheng Group.

Headquartered in Beijing, CCPIT Patent and Trademark Law Office’s legacy practice has nearly 300 patent and trademark attorneys and lawyers. The enforcement team provides litigation, administrative enforcement and mediation services to clients on patent, trademark, copyright, domain name and unfair competition matters. Its practitioners are well versed 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 represented 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 Inc in a patent infringement lawsuit involving four defendants who conduct suspect infringing acts as co-manufacturers and co-sellers.

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

A Chinese litigation boutique that has been on a growth kick in its headcount and its branding traction, Chance Bridge Partners has attained a sweet spot in the market. It has added steadily to its bench but still has fewer than 30 partners. The firm’s dispute resolution practice is active in securities litigation, shareholder litigation and contractual disputes.

Partners Qiang Ye, Yuxiang Hu and Liyong Wang lead the firm’s disputes group.

Work highlights in the commercial and transactions space include acting for Fujian Sanxin Group in a financial loan dispute; representing Zhongshan Securities in a series of securities misrepresentation cases; and advising Ping An Trust on the enforcement of notarised debt instrument with a leading real estate company in Anhui province.

Corporate lawyer Diyun Hong joined firm as partner from JunHe in March 2022. In the same month, Pu Wang joined from Leagual Law Firm as partner. Partners Songtao Yang and Quan Yuan are other new hires of the firm.

Over the past year, the firm has provided legal services for clients including China Huarong Asset Management, Evergrowing Bank, Great Wall Securities, Industrial International Trust and JZ Securities.

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 lawyers with both legal and civil engineering backgrounds. The team has always been in a leading position in the field of construction with a particular forte in infrastructure, public utilities and landmark projects.

Deputy directors Zhongchun Song and Rubo Han are key names to note, while senior partner Shuying Zhu is an established authority in construction.

In an ongoing contract dispute, the firm is acting for a large real estate enterprise affiliated to Fangyuan Group and suing the general contractor, the Fourth Construction Bureau of China, over allegations of overdue completion arising from a commercial housing project. In another matter, the firm represented Yunnan Construction Investment Sixth Construction in an Rmb640 million ($93 million) 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.

Client feedback

“Rich experience and deep 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.”

Headquartered in Shanghai, Co-effort Law Firm holds a fine reputation in the intellectual property space. It is especially known for its expertise in the areas of copyright infringement and trade secrets issues. The firm is frequently sought after by clients in the media and entertainment, technology and online gaming sectors.

Key practitioners include Minjian You and Gang Fu. Both of them are active in copyright infringement and unfair competition disputes with particular expertise in the technology and online gaming sector.

Davis Polk & Wardwell is one of the strongest corporate law firms in the region, so it is no surprise that its strength in dispute resolution is in the financial services sector. The firm is active representing global investment banks, accountancy firms, brokers and insurance companies, as well as trading exchanges before regulators – including the HKEX, SFC, SEC, DOJ and Treasury Department. The team also offers recognised capability for the handling of white-collar crime and international arbitration.

Key names in the firm’s commercial, finance and corporate disputes team include Martin Rogers, Karen Chan, Patrick Sinclair and James Wadham. Rogers, Chan and Sinclair also have particular expertise in white-collar crime and regulatory matters.

In the commercial disputes space, during the research period the firm has continued to represent Luckin Coffee, a PRC-based technology-driven retail company listed on the NASDAQ Exchange, in connection with securities class actions filed in federal and state courts in New York, as well as in derivative and opt-out claims that have also been filed. The firm advised Luckin Coffee on a $175 million settlement of the federal class action, which received preliminary approval from the court in October 2021 and final approval from the Federal Court in July 2022. This is the first-ever US securities class action settlement negotiated in the context of a Cayman provisional liquidation.

The firm’s recent client roster includes Asia Cement Corporation, DouYu, Lizhi, Sunlands Technology Group, X Financial and Zhangmen Education.

DeHeng Law Offices’ dispute resolution practice is known for its expertise in construction and labour and employment. The firm’s construction team often acts for clients in disputes related to infrastructure projects, construction of public utilities projects, land development, real estate construction and financing. Its labour and employment practice has a track record of advising on disputes arising from cross-regional lay-offs at large state-owned enterprises and foreign-related labour disputes of international enterprises.

Key figures of the practice include construction and real estate partners Ganghong Sun and Xiongwei Li, and labour and employment specialist Wenwei Su, whose practice covers risk control of management, employee resettlement, and labour disputes.

In the construction area, the firm is acting for Fuda Holding Group in an Rmb500 million ($73 million) dispute involving a project transfer contract with Shanghai Jinqiao Export Processing Zone Development. The firm is also acting for TAL Education Group in a series of disputes over housing leasing contracts affected by the ‘double reduction’ policy, which requires schools to reduce the burden of excessive homework and off-campus training for Chinese students to reduce their academic stress and promote mental health.

On the labour and employment front, the firm acted as the agent ad litem for New China Assets Management, one of the first professional insurance asset management institutions in China, in a labour dispute arbitration and litigation filed by one of its employees who was dissatisfied about the annual assessment results and the amount of annual bonus.

China Resources Trust, Chongqing Longhua Industry Group Long’ao Automobile Sales & Service, ECD Architects and Essence Securities are some of the firm’s key clients.

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.”

Dentons’ Hong Kong team works closely with its China team on a variety of litigation matters, with a particular forte in cross-border disputes around the Greater Bay Area. The firm’s industry strength lies in financial services, technology and communications, energy, aviation and life sciences. In Hong Kong, the firm is active in the international arbitration space. As a result of active involvement in the BRI initiative, the firm handles an increasing number of disputes arising out of BRI projects and investments.

Huazhi Yuan and Zhibin Zheng are noted for their work in construction and insolvency disputes. In the Hong Kong office, key figures include Richard Keady and Allan Leung, who specialises in commercial disputes and international arbitration.

In commercial and transactions, the firm represented Bayin Resources in successfully defending claims for damages ranging between HK$17 million ($2.2 million) and HK$1 billion ($127 million) for an alleged fraudulent trade finance scheme. The firm successfully recovered legal costs of HK$20 million ($2.55 million) from the plaintiff.

Another commercial and transactions case saw the firm acting for The National Trust, a PRC-licensed trust financial institution, in its application for an urgent domestic and worldwide Mareva injunction against its debtor and obligors. The firm successfully obtained an injunction restricting them from disposing their assets up to the amount of Rmb3 billion ($436 million), as part of its China proceedings in recovering its outstanding loan.

In international arbitration, the firm is acting for Southwest Pacific Bauxite (HK) in an HKIAC arbitration regarding a shareholder dispute. The decision was important because it established for the first time in Hong Kong that a company could not be wound up based on a debt arising out of a contract containing an arbitration clause.

Key clients include Abercrombie & Fitch, Berpu Technology, Ocean Sino and PBM Asset Management.

Client feedback

“The firm provides prompt and relevant advice.” – Commercial and transactions

“They often come up with creative ideas and arguments to put forward in our litigation.” – Commercial and transactions

“A very proactive team – they are always on top of the issues. They flag and address potential issues before they arise, which keeps matters on track.” – Insolvency

“The team provides highly professional, timely, innovative and proactive dispute resolution services to clients.” – Insolvency

“The firm provides prompt advice. They pay attention to details and have good client service attitude.” – International arbitration

“They demonstrate high-quality and professional client representation in commercial arbitrations including advocacy with strong technical law skills combined with good judgement and commercial awareness.” – International arbitration

“They pay meticulous attention to detail and to the client’s commercial interests.” – International arbitration

Keith Brandt

“Excellent management of both his clients and his team.”

Richard Keady

“He is efficient, creative and hard working. Very responsive too.”

“Richard is a real pleasure to work with. He handles the issues in a calm and composed manner. There is a real depth and experience to his team.”

“Extremely good at identifying the most important issues in the case.”

Robert Rhoda

“He is an accomplished arbitration solicitor and a very able advocate. He combines shrewd professional judgement with strong black letter law skills and a tribunal-friendly manner. He is an all-round performer that is a delight to have in an arbitration – an asset not just to his firm and his clients but to the wider arbitration community.”

The Beijing office of Dentons, known as Dacheng, is widely recognised for its work in commercial disputes, particularly in the banking and finance space. The firm’s industry strength lies in financial services, technology and communications, energy, aviation and life sciences. In Hong Kong, the firm is active in the international arbitration space. As a result of active involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the firm handles an increasing number of disputes arising out of BRI projects and investments.

Huazhi Yuan and Zhibin Zheng are noted for their work in construction and insolvency disputes. In the Hong Kong office, key figures include Richard Keady and Allan Leung, who specialise in commercial disputes and international arbitration.

Case highlights include the firm acting for Haitong Securities Asset Management in several stock pledged repo disputes with a total value of more than Rmb3 billion ($436 million); representing Jiangsu Ronghui General Lithium, one of the top 10 manufacturers of basic materials for lithium batteries in the world, in an Rmb2.5 billion ($364 million) dispute over a proposed transfer of equity to Zangge Mining; and acting for China Merchants Bank in a dispute with Everbright Capital over makeup of shortfall in an offshore equity investment fund project for the acquisition of a stake in Luxembourg-based MP & Silva Holding.

In intellectual property, the firm represented SPC Investment, owner of well-known bakery brand Paris Baguette, in filing a series of trademark administrative procedures, trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation cases against a malicious squatter. In another case the IP team acted for Qinghai Qidi Qingyuan New Materials in a patent infringement dispute filed by Jiangsu Jiuwu Technology. The IP team, led by Feng Liu, adopted innovative methods in court, which helped to reverse an unfavourable situation for the client.

In insolvency, the firm acted on the bankruptcy of Yi An Property Insurance, which is the first insurance company restructuring case in China. The team also acted on the bankruptcy reorganisation of Peking University Founder Group. This case has won the Top 10 commercial cases in 2021 by the second commercial court of the Supreme People’s Court.

Key clients include Haitong Innovation Securities Investment, Jiangsu LM Mining, Shanghai Film Group Corporation, Shantou Liannaji Skin Care Products, Timeless Treasure (Hong Kong) and Xinjiang Zhaoyin Xintou Tianshan Fund.

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 an outstanding ability to fully grasp the fine details of different cases.”

Dorsey Whitney is known for its multi-jurisdictional work, particularly in the commercial and transactions space. The firm is active in litigation and arbitration proceedings involving corporate acquisitions, shareholder disputes, contentious insolvencies and a wide variety of commercial matters related to investments and transactions in the PRC. The firm’s litigation group has in-depth knowledge in the areas of banking and financial services, biotechnology, manufacturing and TMT.

Partner Sirui (Ray) Liu heads the firm’s office in Beijing. He concentrates on international and commercial litigations and arbitrations, primarily those involving cross-border and extraterritorial disputes. Yiqin (Karen) Fan is a partner to note in the Shanghai office. Other key figures include Janet Wong, Lilian Shi and Katherine Cheung.

In an ongoing commercial and transactions matter, the firm is acting for a Hong Kong-based investment management company and fund in a claim of more than $350 million for breach of guarantee and indemnity. Another case sees the firm acting for the former director and officer of a Hong Kong-listed company in a commercial dispute concerning a financial arrangement and assurance made during a hostile takeover and claim for unjust enrichment.

In IP, the firm is acting for one of the world’s leading luggage manufacturers and retailers in a number of enforcement and litigation matters, including responding to an allegation of breach of contract in Hong Kong and advising on copyright ownership issues involved in the same dispute.

The rest of the clients the firm has advised on during the research period remain confidential.

Client feedback

“Dorsey and Whitney is a professional legal service firm and a trustworthy, people-focused, and friendly organisation. Many of us have benefited a great deal from our long-term relationship. The firm has been consistently committed to diversity and collaboration – they often work with clients and other entities to offer programmes that build a bridge among individuals, the law firm, and corporations. The firm is also working on matters and resolving clients’ concerns ‘quietly’, which is greatly appreciated. We found their fees are very reasonable compared with other peer firms, and there are no hidden costs or ‘surprises’. It is a very cost-effective firm.” – International arbitration

Sirui (Ray) Liu

“Ray Liu is known as an expert legal counsel and adviser on the most multifaceted and challenging legal and business matters in China, the US and the EU. Ray and his colleagues in China and the US are more than capable of wading through complex matters to focus on solutions for their clients. Beyond being experts in international disputes and corporate matters, Ray and his colleague’ deep experience allows them to provide real-world advice that balances commercial sensibilities and risk. They regularly demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders, articulating sophisticated legal and business matters in a manner that is accessible and understandable for non-expert clients.”

East & Concord Partners offers a comprehensive dispute resolution practice, with particular strength in arbitration. It is active in commercial disputes, especially in the energy, construction and infrastructure, finance and technology and telecommunications sectors. Its team is regularly instructed by both international and domestic enterprises.

Managing partner Qi Zhou is prominent in the arbitration scene, often acting as a senior arbitrator at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). Chaoyi Ji heads the dispute resolution practice and is active in both litigation and arbitration.

Case highlights include advising Nationsync Electrical and Machinery Equip on a Mareva injunction case and an Rmb370 million ($54 million) international arbitration in CIETAC against China National Machine Tool Sales and Technical Service Corporation; and advising US multinational conglomerate General Electric Company in an international arbitration in CIETAC against four of China’s largest insurance companies, including People’s Insurance Company of China (PICC), Ping An Insurance, China Pacific Insurance and Dinghe Property Insurance.

The firm hired Yingzhi Yang from Beijing Dongwei Law Firm as partner in September 2022.

The rest of the clients the firm acted for during the research period remain confidential.

Eiger in association with Shanghai Runyi Law Firm is particularly strong at complex labour disputes. The firm often handles senior management and compliance issues, as well as other internal fraud and business fraud-related litigation. It is also experienced in handling international shareholder disputes, mostly representing foreign investors into Asia.

Two key partners to note are Tian Xu and David Jin. Xu’s practice focuses on corporate and M&A, employment and tax, whereas Jin is an experienced commercial attorney with a strong background in disputes and legal matters concerning foreign investment, M&A, corporate governance, and intellectual property.

Top-tier firm Fangda Partners has a strong track record and robust presence across the market. The firm focuses on handling high-profile, high-stakes and complex litigation and has particular expertise in multi-jurisdictional disputes including international arbitration. The firm also enjoys pre-eminence in the IP, regulatory and insolvency space.

Key figures in the dispute resolution team include Pu (Alexandra) Yang, Helen Shi, Nuo Ji and Kate Yin, who specialise in IP, international arbitration, insolvency and government and regulatory matters respectively. Benjamin Miao, Daniel Huang and Peter Yuen are other key practitioners.

The firm has been kept busy with a string of commercial disputes, including representing Shanghai Jinxin Investment Advisory and Everbright Jinhui Investment Management (Shanghai) in filing a lawsuit against PRC-listed company Baofeng Group and its actual controller before the PRC Supreme Court; representing Bank of Communications Trustee before the Beijing No 4 Intermediate People’s Court against China Energy Reserve and Chemicals Group Company in a dispute arising from the deed of guarantee involving US dollar bonds; and representing Cinda Investment in court litigation over a contract dispute of real estate development operation against a listed general merchandise company and its subsidiary.

On the employment side, the firm is representing a leading domestic cosmetics company in an equity incentive lawsuit against a former senior employee. It also represented Sinotec in a labour dispute case initiated by a former executive concerning a huge amount of project bonus.

In intellectual property, the firm is representing Apple in a series of proceedings against Zhizhen involving the “iRobot” patent, including adopting aggressive defence strategies such as declaratory action and invalidation. One of the main cases in the series involves the highest damages request so far in all IP fields in China. Another marquee matter had the firm advising video game developer Moonton as the global lead counsel on its parallel actions against Tencent and its affiliates in the US, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea and Japan. In this case, the Shenzhen Intermediate Court has held more than 80 hearings for the first instance, which is unique in Chinese civil litigation history.

On the international arbitration front, the firm acted for China Development Bank in a series of litigations arising from an independent bank guarantee dispute against a Russian borrower and its PRC-related entities.

The firm’s dispute resolution practice promoted Sophia Feng, Yang Liu and Wang Zhang to partners in June 2022. Its IP department has lost partners Gordon Gao and Sherry Yao to King & Wood Mallesons in May 2022, while Wen Zou joined the firm as partner from Gen Law Firm in September 2022.

The firm counts some well-known companies as litigation clients, including Alibaba UC Technology, ByteDance, Intel Corporation, NavInfo and Ralph Lauren Corporation.

Client feedback

“Professional, reliable and very responsive.” – Commercial and transactions

Benjamin Miao

“Ben gives measured and practical advice tempered by the realities of China’s political and legal system.”

Yu (Tony) Xiang

“Tony is very reliable. Although he was very busy all times with an extreme workload, he was able to manage his time and allocate sufficient attention to the matters I assigned to Fangda Partners. Fangda can take the burden from our shoulders, leaving us to focus on our business’s core activities.”

Alvin Xiao

“Lawyer Xiao has outstanding professional skills. He is able to grasp arbitration cases with great precision, and can often offer profound insights and reasonable solutions aligned with the actual needs of the company. He is a rare hands-on partner.”

Weiguo (William) Yang

“Able to communicate thoroughly and efficiently between all parties concerned when representing us in cases and providing professional analyses.”

Heidi Zhang

“Heidi provides timely responses and professional services.”

Bo Zhou

“Lawyer Zhou is very professional and dedicated. We are reassured by his presence.”

Gen Law Firm generated immediate buzz upon its formation three years ago when seasoned IP lawyer Jing He left AnJie Law Firm along with his team and set up this new firm. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, the firm’s IP team is known for its expertise in complex IP litigation and transactional matters. It often litigates matters in the semiconductor, wireless and biopharmaceuticals sectors, as well as difficult bad faith trademarks and cross-border trade secret issues.

Beijing-based managing partner Jing He has more than 20 years’ experience in handling IP litigation, antitrust, policy advocacy and compliance matters. Another partner, also based in the firm’s office in Beijing, is Kefeng (Steve) Zhao, whose practice covers disputes involving trademark, copyright, unfair competition and data protection, IP-related commercial arbitration and litigation, compliance investigation and governmental relation affairs. Jinwe (Kevin) Han and Feng (Jerry) Xia are other key figures of the firm.

Work highlights include representing US chemicals manufacturing company FMC Corporation in filing a pre-suit injunction petition against Zhejiang Yongtai and its subsidiary Shanghai E-tong before the Ningbo Court for the production, distribution and sale of FMC’s patented pesticide “chlorantraniliprole” (CTPR); and acting for AO Smith Corporation, the largest manufacturer and marketer of water heaters in North America, in bringing three trademark and unfair competition civil actions before the Nanjing Intermediate Court to stop a competitor from using the client’s Chinese trademark and trade name, “Shi Mai Si”.

Bobst, Emerson Electric, Rockwool International and Travel Sentry are some of the firm’s key IP clients.

Famous for its leading white-collar practice, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher draws on significant on-the-ground experience acting on high-profile internal and government investigations across the Asia-Pacific region. It focuses on work involving Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-money laundering, securities and trade control laws. It advises on cutting-edge litigation on a full range of complex contentious matters, including banking, insurance, probate and tax.

The firm has renowned litigators, including Kelly Austin, Elaine Chen and Brian Gilchrist. Gilchrist and Chen are highly respected for their commercial disputes expertise, while Austin is prominent in the white-collar and compliance space.

Case highlights during the research period include representing one of the beneficiaries of the estate of a prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist in Hong Kong and the PRC, involving billions of assets located in various jurisdictions; representing an international trustee and successfully defending two high-profile High Court actions commenced by a settlor and beneficiary of the trust, and in another related high-profile action commenced by another beneficiary; and advising an international auction house on disputes and proceedings in relation to consignments for auction and private sales of world-class works of art.

All details of the clients the firm has advised on remain confidential.

Global Law Office’s dispute resolution team comprises 50 partners and nearly 100 associates with solid skills and rich experience in a broad range of practices, including antitrust, finance, compliance, insolvency, construction and intellectual property. It is also well respected in the field of international arbitration, able to instruct in large-scale matters before the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) and the International Commerce Centre (ICC).

Xing Xiusong and Gao Yifeng are well regarded for their international arbitration capability. Gao is also active in construction and product liability disputes. Other lawyers to note include Jingye Jiang, Zhao Li and Jiuguang Zhao.

In the commercial and transactions area, the firm is representing Zhongzhi Enterprise Group and its subsidiary, a leading Chinese asset management group, against listed company Zhejiang Tianma Bearing Group and its affiliates in 10 cases arising respectively out of equity beneficiary right transfer and repurchase, balance supplementary clauses and short-term bridge loan disputes in first-instance proceedings, second-instance proceedings, enforcement proceedings and bankruptcy proceedings before the Supreme Court, the Beijing High Court, the Zhejiang High Court and other courts. These cases have drawn a lot of attention from a large number of practitioners and investors in the asset management sector.

In international arbitration, the firm acted for a PRC corporate entity engaging in digital appliances in investment disputes against an Indian company at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC).

In 2022, the firm welcomed eight new partners, including Liya Peng and Dahai Wei, who joined from Jincheng Tongda & Neal and Lifang & Partners, respectively. The rest of the new partners are Xiaoni Qi, Liyun Kou, Ke Zhao, Shuhui Dai, Ke (Kevin) Wang, and Zhiqing (Byrd) Zou.

Key clients include China General Technology (Group) Holding, CITIC Securities, HSBC Bank (China), MMD Group and Sichuan Tianfu Bank (Sichuan branch).

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 puts our business needs in a very important position 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

“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 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 are advantages he has over 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 and has good communication skills.”

Keyou Wang

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

Lai Wang

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

Lei Ye

“A very professional, dedicated, and hands-on lawyer.”

Founded in Beijing in 2018, Hai Run Law Firm has been formed by the merger of Beijing Hairun Law Firm and Beijing Tianrui Law Firm. Its disputes practice is active in domestic litigation including civil, commercial and criminal cases with a particular forte in securities, investment funds as well as IP issues. Key figures in the firm include Ming Yao, Jinlong Zhou and Zhenzu Zhang.

One of the cases saw the firm advise China Nuclear Investment on a more than $156 million case of financial loan contract dispute against China Nuclear (Pingtan) Science and Technology Park Investment Partnership Enterprise, Beijing Shunhua Real Estate Development and Bank of Beijing.

The firm also advised Huainan People’s Government on a contract dispute against San’an Optoelectronic, Fujian San’an Group, Suncore Photovoltaic Technology Co, Xiamen Suncore Energy and Qinghai Suncore Energy.

The firm hired Huanwei Zhang, Longyuan Jiang and Mei Fang from Anli Partners as partners, all specialised in asset management.

China Minsheng Bank, Hwabao Trust and Jiangsu Nantong Erjian Group are some of the firm’s key clients.

A new entry into the into the Benchmark Asia-Pacific rankings in this edition, Haiwen & Partners is one of the first domestic law firms to be engaged in foreign and overseas dispute resolution and arbitration in China. The firm’s dispute resolution team provides legal services for state-owned groups, listed companies and private enterprises at home and abroad, as well as transnational corporations, unicorns and investment institutions. Partners Fan He and Edward Liu are key figures.

Commercial and transactions case highlights include the firm advising Shandong Innovation Real Estate in a litigation case involving financing, guarantee and equity transfer of a project company against CCI Holdings; representing Anhui Four Seasons Smart New Energy Technology in an arbitration against Beijing Zhongneng Zhihui Technology and other three entities in a dispute arising from an investment co-operation 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 increased 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 Jingling 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 explanations and understand customer needs.” – Commercial and transactions

“Highly professional and effective in providing advice. The team members have good experience and there is a 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’ dispute resolution practice is known for its high-quality work and it regularly advises clients in commercial, intellectual property, antitrust and labour and employment issues. The firm is particularly known for its work in IP disputes in the telecommunications, healthcare and chemicals sectors.

Eric Liu, partner and member of the dispute resolution team, is well known for his work in the commercial and transactions field. IP specialist Yan Wang is also a recognised name. Other key names include Denning Jin, Andy Liao and Yaxing Zhang.

In the past 12 months, highlights 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 ($1.15 billion) loan dispute; and representing Swiss-domiciled multinational technology company Garmin in an Rmb17 million ($2.5 million) litigation case against Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile Company.

In the government and regulatory space, the firm conducted an anti-fraud compliance investigation on behalf of a listed biopharmaceuticals company against several APP operators who misappropriated the client’s identity and logo to solicit public fundraising. In another case, the firm represented a global industrial automation device manufacturer in its internal compliance investigations into the 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. The case attracted a great of attention in the LED industry because it was 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 (SEP) related dispute against Chinese partially state-owned technology company ZTE Corporation before the 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. Recently, the firm has been steadily building out its government and regulatory practice through noticeable strategic hires: Michelle Gon has joined firm as senior compliance adviser from Winston & Strawn. Sophie Shi and Jolie Yan also joined the team from YuandaWinston in April 2021.

In January 2022, the firm announced its merger with Shanghai Young-Ben Law Firm: all Shanghai Young-Ben 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.

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 co-operate 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.”

Enjoying a first-class reputation in the market, Herbert Smith Freehills maintains a wide range of domestic and international disputes capability covering the full spectrum of advice across Asia-Pacific. The firm stands out in commercial disputes, international arbitration and white-collar crime. It also has the largest dedicated arbitration team in Greater China, with offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Apart from legal expertise, the firm is also recognised for its strategic and commercial approach to handling cases.

Dominic Geiser and Gareth Thomas are key names for commercial litigation. May Tai and Justin D’Agostino are particularly famous in the international arbitration space, whereas Kyle Wombolt is the dominant player in white-collar crime. Other notable lawyers include Simon Chapman and Kathryn Sanger.

On the commercial and transactions front, the firm is acting for both UBS AG and UBS Europe SE in defending proceedings commenced by the liquidators of China Metal Recycling in the court of first instance in respect of liabilities arising out of its sponsorship work for the IPO of China Metal Recycling. In another case, the firm successfully defended the Hong Kong branch of DBS Bank in a substantial High Court action brought by the liquidators of Galleria, a multinational furniture business. The firm is also acting for Bank of China International and BOCI Securities, two leading Chinese financial institutions in Hong Kong, in defending mis-selling claims exceeding HK$100 million ($12.7 million) brought by their private bank client who is a high-net-worth Chinese individual based in the Guangdong province.

In international arbitration, the firm continues to represent Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SIPC) and Addax – subsidiaries of the Sinopec Group – in the largest fraud claim ever filed with the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), valued in excess of $5.5 billion. This concerns the 2012 purchase by SIPC and Addax of a significant upstream business in the North Sea, which is now a multibillion-dollar liability.

Notable clients include Axiata Group, BOCI Securities, BYD Company, Credit Suisse and Essilor International.

HHP Attorneys-At-Law is recognised for its work in financial disputes. The team has represented clients in disputes relating to trust and wealth management, securities, mergers and acquisitions, shareholders’ rights and corporate governance. Industry expertise ranges across the real estate, machinery manufacturing and automobile sectors.

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

Case highlights include advising an asset management company on an Rmb1 billion ($145 million) litigation case related to a real estate development project; advising an investment platform under a leading trust and a real estate developer on an Rmb200 million ($29 million) contract dispute arising from a real estate reorganisation project; and advising a leading internet and technology company on a series of disputes with banks, shareholders, other creditors and investors.

The rest of the clients the firm has acted for during the research period remain confidential.

Client feedback

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

“The firm provided us with very satisfactory legal services in the field of dispute resolution litigation. Its lawyers have rich experience in dispute resolution and can provide quick a response, high-quality analysis and effective results even in very complicated cases. Lawyers are very professional and have good knowledge of the industrial products and manufacturing industry. They have a lot of 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 work in different cases. At the same time, HHP is a member of Meritas, and co-operates well with many overseas law firms. It can efficiently resolve cross-border disputes and complete judicial procedures across jurisdictions for us.” – Commercial and transactions

Qian Ma

“Lawyer Ma Qian is well versed when it comes to legal knowledge and has outstanding litigation skills 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.”

“Qian has solid legal knowledge, outstanding litigation skills and excellent negotiation skills. He has a broad mind and can provide creative solutions. Qian is very responsible and reliable and good at case management. He is an excellent litigator.”

Yao Rao

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

“The HHP cross-disciplinary team led by Lawyer 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.”

HongFangLaw’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 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 HongFangLaw, is our most frequent contact. His experience and insights in IP practice in the energy industry have been very helpful for us when it has come to formulating an IP protection strategy in China.”

Hui Ye Law Firm is consistently referenced among market peers in the capacity of cross-border commercial disputes, an area in which the firm has held a particular niche. The firm often handles equity disputes, investment and various commercial dispute cases for multinational groups and state-owned enterprises at all levels of arbitration institutions at home and abroad. Dong Wu, Rocky Ding and Steven Zhou are senior partners of the firm.

Some of the commercial disputes see the firm acting for the former chief representative of the business partner of Jinan University in a contract dispute; representing a well-known international wine enterprise in a distribution contract dispute against a domestic distributor over termination of the co-operation before the Shanghai Municipal First Intermediate People’s Court; and representing China Pacific Property Insurance in an insurance contract dispute against a real estate company.

The firm has made several hires as of late, including senior partners Muqiao Lin and Xiangjun Kong joining from Shihui Partners in October 2022, and Liu Liu joining from AllBright Law Offices as partner in August 2022. Other new partners include Xiuhong Tang, Wei Liao, Xuan Chen and Shiming Xiang.

Chang’an Fund Management, Fourth Base Investments, Hangzhou Taiping Textile, Jinyuan Shunan Fund Management and Shanghai Heshang Asset Management are some of the firm’s clients.

Founded in 1997, Hylands Law Firm is particularly known for IP disputes across the media and communications, entertainment, sports and machinery sectors. The firm is also active in the areas of commercial and insolvency disputes.

Key partners include Yu Xu for commercial disputes and Michael Liu for intellectual property.

During the research period, the firm represented Tahone 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 co-operates 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 achieved outstanding work performance and extremely good external reviews.”

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

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

Key work highlights include acting for Jiangsu GCL Construction Management in an equity transfer dispute against GCL Financial Holding (Shanghai) and Nanjing Red Sun Financial Holding Supply Chain; acting for Baotong Company in an infringement dispute against Shanghai Hotoho Logistics and five other defendants for alleged violation of fire-control regulations and contract stipulations; and advising Shenzhen Zihui Xintong Commercial Factoring in a contract dispute against Fujian Yongtain Construction Engineering.

In the past 12 months, the firm has welcomed more than 30 new staff into the dispute resolution department, including Lei Wang, who joined as senior partner from W&H Law Firm in January 2022, as well as Pinghui Sun and Dan Wu who joined from Shanghai Jiajia Law Firm and Changshu Bank, respectively.

The firm has opened four new branches in the Yangtze River Delta region in order to better meet cross-region needs, including new branch offices in Hangzhou, Changzhou, Nantong and Shangrao.

The firm’s key clients include BOC Consumer Finance, Shanghai Jiuya Medical Beauty Hospital and Shanlin Financial Company.

JunHe is highly regarded for its work in commercial, construction and intellectual property disputes. The dispute resolution team has nearly 90 lawyers, including more than 20 partners. With extensive experience before courts at various levels and renowned arbitration centres, its litigators provide clients with an in-depth understanding of the legal system and judicial practice in China and overseas. Most of the team members are dual-qualified as well as multilingual in Chinese, English, French and Japanese, offering high-quality international dispute resolution services.

Prominent figures include commercial dispute specialist Yang Liu, construction experts Yu Qin and Elvis Zhou as well as labour and employment practitioner Hongjuan Bai.

Commercial disputes include representing a geothermal energy development joint venture between a Sinopec subsidiary and Iceland’s Arctic Green Energy to petition for administrative reconsideration to successfully withdraw the local government’s administrative decision to rescind the franchise agreement and revoke the administrative licence for franchise; and assisting Golden Arche 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 a 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 Intellectual Property Court of the Supreme People’s Court, which upheld two invalidation decisions made by the Patent Re-examination Board of the State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) 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-practising entity (NPE) company.

The firm’s dispute resolution team has grown 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 as partners. Partners Chenguang (Leon) Liu and Carol Sun from YuandaWinston complete the recent additions. The firm’s IP team, on the other hand, has welcomed Junlin Pan from Mingsu Law Firm as a 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 are impressive.” – International arbitration

Yongqiang Yu

“Good at communication and managing the legal team.”

Founded in 1995, Beijing-based JunZeJun Law Offices provides a comprehensive and diverse array of litigation services that includes commercial litigation, securities, maritime law and construction, with a particular forte in the IP arena. The firm’s IP practice covers patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and domain names in industries involving telecommunications, semiconductors, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, media and other traditional industries.

Senior partners Danny Ye and Nan Ding lead the firm’s ever-growing IP team.

In IP disputes, the firm’s IP team, led by Danny Ye, represented Guangzhou 37 Mutual Entertainment Technology and Shanghai Guanhang Network Technology in defending a copyright infringement and unfair competition litigation brought by Wemade Entertainment and Chuanqi Ip in relation to the game “Heroes of the Kings”. This case provides a framework for games copying and rational referencing. The case was one of the 10 leading IP cases of 2021, according to the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI).

During the research period, IP lawyers who have joined the firm as partners include Liangyong Liu, Fei Li, Shengli Wang, Yi Cheng, 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 legal resources integration 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 puts forward unique solutions for large-scale, difficult-to-dispose and complex-transaction projects and actively safeguards our interests. They never shrink back in the face of problems, but 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 understands the specific application mode in practice. The case is 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, he sorted through every detail of the work and offered professional legal recommendations. He also took part in business negotiations, safeguarding our interests and achieving satisfactory results.”

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

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

Na Lv

“Handles assigned work meticulously and completes it on time to a 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 a lot of evidence relating to the case. He puts complicated cases into a clearer structure that made it easier for us to determine our litigation plan. In representing our case, lawyer Zhang was hardworking and responsible, always answering our enquiries and keeping us updated at every stage so we knew how the case was going. I am very impressed by lawyer Zhang’s level of professionalism and would like to have him represent us in any future cases.”

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

K&L Gates’ dispute resolution practice is active in commercial and transactions. The firm has experience handling debt restructuring, fraud, professional liability, and contentious employment matters, as well as construction, securities and investment company litigation. In addition, it has been handling an increasing number of technology and intellectual property related disputes.

Key people include Christopher Tung and Sacha Cheong, two Hong Kong-based partners. Tung is active in construction, environmental law, clean energy and carbon finance. Cheong specialises in commercial cases, white collar crime, employment and construction. Jay Chiu is another key contact.

In a commercial dispute, the firm is assisting China Silver in several funds-related litigation matters arising from swap transactions and redemption rights under subscription agreements. These matters are ongoing before the Court of First Instance and Court of Appeal in Hong Kong and have also given rise to parallel proceedings in the Cayman Islands as well as winding-up and bankruptcy proceedings in Hong Kong.

In the IP space, the firm is representing Luxshare Precision, one of the biggest and best-known connector companies in China, in patent litigation in response to a patent infringement claim brought by its competitor for the usage of certain electrical connectors and cages in downstream products sold in the US. The case was first filed in 2020 and the firm received a favourable final initial determination from the administrative law judge in March 2022.

In January 2022, the firm welcomed Susan Munro as counsel to the international arbitration team in Hong Kong.

Some of the firm’s new clients are FTI Consulting, Grant Thornton, Hong Kong International Aviation Leasing, Lexington, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wuyi Bairong Electric Appliance and ZTE Corporation.

Client feedback

“When it comes to litigation with international elements, the Hong Kong office of K&L Gates can easily connect clients to lawyers of other jurisdictions to provide quick and sound advice on foreign law.” – Commercial and transactions

Sacha Cheong

“Litigation partner Sacha Cheong is very approachable. Clear road maps detailing the major steps in litigation are provided to clients at early stage. Advice is prompt and candid, and clients will not be advised to incur unnecessary costs.”

“As a partner, Sacha is very responsive to clients’ queries. He provides quick and sound advice to clients and makes sure that clients are informed at all stages of litigation. He is also knowledgeable in both court litigations and arbitrations in Hong Kong. Clients can feel very comfortable in entrusting litigation matters to Sacha.”

Chris Tung

“Very personable and hard working. Great with clients. Intelligent.”

Kangxin Partners is focused exclusively on intellectual property disputes including those related to IP rights, trade secrets, unfair competition, and technology transfer. The IP enforcement team has specialists in electronics, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and communications as well as computing technology. IP litigator, Samson Yu heads the firm.

One of the dominant players in the region, King & Wood Mallesons has a deep bench of experienced litigators in China and Hong Kong, offering clients broad coverage in Asia-Pacific and supported by a wide international network. The firm represents clients before all levels of the courts and various arbitration tribunals, including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and the ICC. The Hong Kong office is especially known for its construction and international arbitration capability. The firm is also active in financial services regulatory work.

Key names in the commercial and international arbitration space include Yuwu Liu and Ariel Ye in China and Paul Starr and Barbara Chiu in Hong Kong. Beijing-based Zhongsheng Li and Jing Xu are notable in IP disputes and Kuncheng Zhao is known for insolvency. Edmund Wan in Hong Kong is a key name for construction. Chiu is also active in the regulatory and white-collar space, together with Rachel Yu.

In construction, the firm is representing New World Development Company in parallel proceedings of Hong Kong arbitration and domestic litigation by offering Chinese legal support and representing the client in litigation and enforcement processes.

In international arbitration, the firm is advising CEIBS Publishing Group on a United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) arbitration administered by HKIAC and parallel Hong Kong court proceedings, as well as potential PRC court proceedings against China Europe International Business School. In another ongoing matter, the team is acting for two US venture capital funds in a series of arbitration, litigation and other legal proceedings in a cross-border take-over dispute against a delisting company.

The firm’s clients include Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, Guoxing Global Land Consolidation and Development and Wuzhou Xingkai Construction.

Kirkland & Ellis has an exceptionally well-respected team for insolvency and white-collar crime work, with extensive expertise in fraud investigations, asset recovery and tracing, fund and shareholder disputes. With offices in Shanghai and Beijing, the firm has a substantial PRC-based disputes practice handling cross-border litigation issues involving China.

Neil McDonald and Kelly Naphtali are key figures for insolvency, while Cori Lable in Hong Kong and Tiana Zhang in Shanghai are highly regarded in white-collar crime and investigations.

Insolvency cases include the firm advising the committee of holders on transactions and a potential restructuring as well as enforcement actions concerning the US dollar notes issued by China Evergrande Group; acting for Noble Group, one of Asia’s leading independent energy products and industrial raw materials supply chain managers, on the deleveraging and reorganisation of certain of the Noble Group’s key debt instruments and assets; and advising the joint liquidators of Nuoxi on a claim before the Hong Kong court against PKU Founder under English law-governed keepwell deeds arising from a $900 million bond issued by Nuoxi.

Litigation partner Richard Sharpe left firm in September 2022.

Details of clients the firm has advised on during the research period remain confidential.

Client feedback

“Very responsive. A highly capable and responsible team, providing thoughtful guidance.” – International arbitration

“Hardworking and knowledgeable.” – White-collar crime

Jacky Fung

“Jacky Fung has been very efficient and detail oriented. He has provided a huge amount of support for our case. He has performed beyond expectations.”

Tiana Zhang

“Dedicated, smart and tenacious.”

Labour law specialist firm Lanbai Law Firm has more than a decade long history in corporate HR compliance and employment legal services in China. From risk defence to risk treatment, it covers every aspect of labour and employment law with solid experience on both the contentious and non-contentious sides. Bin Zhang and Minghui Qian are the practice’s main partners.

The team at Lantai Partners is experienced in handling all manner of commercial disputes including bank loans and guarantee issues, contractual default, construction and product liability matters. The firm is regularly entrusted by governments, domestic and foreign companies, financial institutions and tech companies. It is especially noted for its capability in banking and financial disputes.

Guang Yang and Xiaomin Yao are key partners at the firm who are noted for their commercial disputes expertise. Partner Tian Shaoqing is active in construction disputes.

Work highlights during the research period include advising on financial loan contract disputes between the China CITIC Bank (Xiamen Branch) and Xiamen Yuansheng Real Estate; representing CITIC Securities in a stock pledge repurchase transaction contract dispute; and acting for Langfang Junzheng Real Estate Development in a construction contract dispute against Beijing Construction Engineering Group.

Notable clients include China Development Bank, Gaoxin Investment Development, Sinopec Pipeline Storage and Transportation and Tianjin Jinan Heavy Industry.

A new entry into the Benchmark Asia-Pacific rankings in this edition, Lewis Silkin has noticeably grown its headcount and its branding traction The firm has won commendations from peers and clients for its focus on dispute matters related to labour and employment, as well as intellectual property. Its Hong Kong office supports multinationals and offers support on a range of IP and commercial IP issues in both Hong Kong and across the Asia-Pacific region.

Notable people include partner Jezamine Fewins, who is an experienced employment and IP litigator, and seasoned IP lawyer David Swain.

In an ongoing employment dispute, the team is advising Germany-based reinsurance company Hannover Re in defending claims in proceedings issued in the High Court for alleged breach of its statutory duty pursuant to the Employment Ordinance over the termination of one of its employees. Another case sees the firm representing the minority shareholders in a joint venture involved in the business of high-end vodka in court proceedings against the majority shareholders for breach of the joint venture agreement.

In intellectual property, the firm acted for Italian gourmet chocolate manufacturer Venchi in issuing a cease-and-desist letter to Luxtek (Hong Kong) and successfully restrained Luxtek from exhibiting ice-cream display stands in Caffé Milani stores that were infringing Venchi’s copyright and registered design.

Lewis Silkin has been building out its litigation practice through noticeable hires. The firm made a strategic hire with experienced employment and IP litigator Jezamine Fewins, who joined its Hong Kong office in January 2022, along with three new associates. In 2021, David Swain was hired from Deacons to head up the Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific IP practice.

Notable clients include Alcohol Countermeasure Systems, Lucky Grace Investment, Netbit Holdings Corporation, Technologies Multi Sources and Xero.

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.

Headquartered in Beijing with branch offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen, IP firm Lung Tin Intellectual Property Agent provides IP services including litigation, counselling and mediation in the areas of trademark, copyright, trade secrets and unfair competition. The firm’s industry sector strengths lies within the engineering, machinery, biochemistry and pharmaceuticals fields.

A key IP practitioner to note is partner Qinghong Xu, who is a patent attorney with explicit knowledge in the automotive, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and renewable energy sectors. Partners Jacob Zhang, Yan Huang and Deland Wu are also key figures.

The IP team is representing a Chinese partially state-owned technology company in an administrative litigation filed by Conversant Wireless Licensing (formerly Core Wireless). Another ongoing dispute has the firm representing Denmark-based Grundfos, the largest pump manufacturer in the world, in patent litigation and patent invalidation proceedings against Heifei Shinhoo Canned Motor Pump.

The firm welcomed Jun Wang to its bench from King & Wood Mallesons in February 2022. He specialises in patent application and prosecution.

Key clients include Lemi (Beijing) International Architectural Planning and Design, Markor International Household Products, Molex and Shanghai Sulzer Construction Machinery.

Client feedback

“Actively communicates business progress with us and provides professional legal advice.” – Intellectual property

“The professional and experienced patent infringement litigation team and the sound preparation of litigation documents have allowed us to win many lawsuits and obtain high compensation.” – Intellectual property

Yan Huang

“Attentive and very knowledgeable about Chinese design law.”

Siyue (Jacob) Zhang

“Handles every assignment with dedication, drawing on professional knowledge and experience to achieve goals.”

“Jacob is my go-to attorney in China. He is an excellent patent attorney. His technical knowledge is really good. He is very good at communicating and his advice is always appropriate to the client’s needs. He has an excellent team working with him as well.”

Another debut entry into this edition of Benchmark Asia-Pacific, Lusheng Law Firm mines a unique niche dedicated exclusively to intellectual property. It is also a patent agency authorised by the National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). With headquarters in Beijing, the firm has also set up branches in Shanghai and Guangzhou to provide patent agency services to clients across China.

Managing partner August Zhang specialises in the areas of trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition and he often advises clients on the security and enforcement of their valuable IP assets. Sharon Qiao, Beijing-based Landy Jiang and Shanghai-based Carol Wang are key figures.

In IP litigation, the firm successfully represented Canadian multinational toy and entertainment company Spin Master in filing infringement actions against a toy company for alleged infringement of “Bakugan”, one of the most successfully toys in history. The Suzhou Intermediate Court and the Supreme Court granted Spin Master a sum of Rmb15.5 million ($2.25 million) as compensation, which is one of the highest sums awarded as compensation for patent infringement to a foreign company by the Chinese courts.

Another IP case had the firm representing The LEGO Group 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 the “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.

Mayer Brown is among the largest and longest-standing law practices in the market. The firm is frequently sought out for its work in general commercial, construction, insolvency and financial services regulatory disputes. The team is also developing a niche in emerging technology matters, including electronic transactions and data privacy.

Thomas So, Nicholas Hunsworth and John Hickin are key names in commercial and transactional litigation. Alan Linning is well known for contentious regulatory work, while Gabriela Kennedy and Menachem Hasofer are recommended for IP and construction work, respectively.

In commercial and transactions, the firm has been representing two members of leading private property developer Eton Properties Group in defending a claim brought by Xiamen Xinjingdi Group in purported enforcement of an arbitral award made by the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) in Beijing. The case has also been listed by the Supreme People’s Court of the PRC as one of the 10 model cases concerning mutual enforcement of arbitral awards between mainland China and Hong Kong.

In insolvency, the firm is advising Maybank, one of the primary bank creditors, on its security and enforcement options with Pacific Andes. Recently, the firm has advised Maybank on a proposed debt restructuring and sale at the upper section of the capital structure, involving a recovery in exchange for the investor’s acquisition of a real estate portfolio. There are also proceedings to recover Maybank’s loans through Chapter 11 cases in the US and proceedings in Singapore, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands.

In IP, the firm represented Anhui Jinhe Industrial in a case brought by Celanese International Corporation at the US International Trade Commission for alleged infringement of five patents relating to the production of acesulfame potassium (Ace-K), one of the world’s most popular artificial sweeteners. The IP team was also successful for its clients – including Beijing Gingko Group (BGG), Jiangsu Xixin Vitamin and Jinke Group USA – in defending a patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract in federal district court in California. After a Markman hearing, the firm obtained a favourable claim construction on behalf of BGG. The firm also represented BGG customer Kyani in litigation involving the same patent, which was transferred from the District of Idaho and consolidated with the California case.

In construction, the firm is advising The Hong Kong Jockey Club, a leading charitable organisation in Hong Kong, on its Conghua Training Centre (CTC) in Guangdong, China, which involves the construction of a world-class facility for the training of Hong Kong’s thoroughbred racehorses

The firm continues to represent various leading real estate developers in Hong Kong in compulsory sale applications, one of which includes representing a developer in its successful compulsory sale application with respect to the State Theatre Building in North Point. This is Hong Kong’s largest compulsory sale application in term of redevelopment value, at more than HK$4.7 billion ($599 million).

Wilson Fung was promoted to partner in January 2022.

Key clients include EverPro Technologies, First Laser and Vitasweet.

Merits & Tree Law Offices’ dispute resolution practice is active in insolvency and intellectual property. Its assets and bankruptcy restructuring team has extensive experience in representing asset management companies, financial institutions and social investors in a large number of litigations and execution business related to non-performing assets disposal. Its IP practice  has a track record of handling dispute settlement in the TMT, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical devices, artificial intelligence, chemicals and materials fields.

Key partners include Zunsi Liu, Leiming Li, Sheng Jiang and Wenliang Zhang. IP experts Lihui Zhao, Wei Deng, Jing He and Karen Hu are also notable partners of the firm.

In commercial disputes, the firm handled a miner exploration rights dispute between two Inner Mongolia companies, and represented China Agriculture Industry Development Fund in a share repurchase disputes against varies parties.

In the IP space, the firm represented Beijing ZCOOL Network Technology in an unfair competition case against Huaban over infringement actions. The firm obtained a high compensation judgment in the first instance and successfully reached a settlement and obtained a high settlement payment in the second instance. The case marks the first unfair competition case obtained through big data in the picture area and has no precedent of judicial practice.

The five former Anli Partners lawyers, Zheng Li, Chenxi Qu, Jingxiang Zhou, Haiqing Wang and Xia Lan, joined Merits & Tree Law Offices in August 2022.

Merits & Tree Law Offices’ dispute resolution practice is active in insolvency and intellectual property. Its assets and bankruptcy restructuring team has extensive experience in representing asset management companies, financial institutions and social investors in a large number of litigations and execution business related to non-performing assets disposal. Its IP practice, on the other hand, has a track record of handling dispute settlement in the TMT, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, medical devices, artificial intelligence, chemicals and materials fields.

Key partners include Zunsi Liu, Leiming Li, Sheng Jiang and Wenliang Zhang. IP experts Lihui Zhao, Wei Deng, Jing He and Karen Hu are also notable partners of the firm.

Case highlights include representing an investor in the bankruptcy reorganising project of Tsinghua Unigroup with an investment target of about Rmb80 billion; representing Cinda Financial Leasing in the bankruptcy and reorganisation projects of ST Antong, Quanzhou Ansheng Shipping Company, and Antong Logistics; and representing the creditor and reorganisation investor in the bankruptcy and reorganisation project of Kangde Composite Materials.

In the IP space, the firm represented Xiaomi in response to the application for retrial of the trademark infringement and unfair competition dispute submitted by Zhongshanbenteng company before the Supreme People's Court, and successfully sustained the compensation of Rmb50 million in the second instance. This case is selected as one of the typical punitive damages cases by the Supreme People's Court in 2021.

Beijing Zcool Network Technology, CMIG Leasing Holdings, Doushen Education Technology (Beijing), Shenzhen Shentou culture Investment, Zhongzhi New Energy Vehicle are some of the firm’s notable clients.

The firm’s dispute resolution team hired Bin Lin, Jean Zhu, Chang Cheng, Wenhao Chen, Zheyuan Jin, Chun Shen and Yi Wang as partners. It also promoted Kai Liu to partner in the same year.

Client feedback

“The firm has done very well in terms of service quality, service speed and service attitude.” – Commercial and transactions

“Merits & Tree has not been limited by the words of laws and regulations, and can think deeply about the actual situation of the business from the perspective of the client.” – Labour and employment

“Lawyers are able to provide the whole range of labour dispute settlement services, instead of being limited to simple litigation.” – Labour and employment

Lei (Ryan) Chen

“He certainly demonstrates high-quality and professional work with satisfying results delivered.”

Wenhao Chen

“Prompt and clear advice with quick turnaround.”

Morgan Lewis & Bockius is sought out for commercial litigation and arbitration work. Its Hong Kong disputes and litigation team regularly represents clients on multi-jurisdictional commercial disputes across Asia, and in connection with disputes arising globally for Asia-based clients. The firm’s clients include China-based firms from various industries including real estate, private equity, banking, energy, e-commerce, telecommunications, and pharmaceuticals.

Charles Mo is a notable figure on the commercial disputes side, while Lesli Ligorner advises on labour and employment and white-collar crime disputes. Shaobin Zhu is noted for his IP litigation expertise.

Case highlights during the research period remain confidential, but the firm acted in various cases involving complex contractual claims, trade secrets, debt recovery and investigations matters.

Shaobin Zhu

“The team led by lawyer Shaobin Zhu is very professional, diligent and highly responsible. They are proficient in intellectual property and very focused on detail. In addition, they are very patient in answering our questions and tackling issues. Lawyer Zhu’s expertise in the intellectual property field is very high, helping us to conduct the intellectual property planning process and to avoid potential risks. In addition, lawyer Zhu knows how to protect our legitimate rights and interests to the maximum extent. He devoted much time and energy to drafting the patent application documents and revised them repeatedly, based on our opinions and suggestions.”

Supported by a highly capable litigation and arbitration practice, Morrison & Foerster is known for its strength in cross-border disputes across the region. The firm provides corporate investigation and enforcement capabilities backed by an integrated regional practice across five offices in Asia. It operates across a broad range of sectors, including energy, chemicals, construction, manufacturing, real estate and technology and telecommunications.

Managing partner Timothy Blakely heads the firm’s Hong Kong litigation department. His practice focuses on government investigations, complex commercial litigation and international arbitration matters. Another key partner to note is Sarah Thomas.

The firm’s IP team is representing Snap-on and Mitchell 1 in a trade secret theft arbitration pending in California against China-based Autel Intelligent Technology and its US subsidiary.

The rest of the cases submitted during the research period remain strictly confidential, but the firm kept busy working on matters related to government investigations, shareholders’ agreements, and a number of Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) and ICC arbitrations.

Recognised for its dispute resolution expertise, especially in the commercial and transaction space, Norton Rose Fulbright has an excellent track record of managing large and complex transactions, projects and disputes in China and internationally. The firm also regularly advises clients on IP-related disputes, with a particular niche in the technology and life sciences sectors.

Partners Camille Jojo and Alfred Wu are two dispute resolution stars from the firm. Jojo handles a wide range of complex finance disputes, whereas Wu often advises clients on general commercial litigation and arbitration.

In commercial and transactions, the firm is acting for Paloma, a leading manufacturer of gas appliances based in Japan, in enforcing a Japan Commercial Arbitration Association award of more than HK$270 million ($34.4 million) against a subsidiary of Capxon International Electronic Company.

On the construction front, the firm is acting for Gammon, a leading construction and engineering contractor headquartered in Hong Kong, in ad-hoc arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong in relation to disputes arising out of a contract between Gammon as main contractor and a subsidiary of a large development company as employer for the redevelopment of a luxury residential development in Hong Kong.

In the private client space, the firm is acting for one of the executors of the Fok estate on disputes relating to a settlement agreement. This case is one of the most prominent tycoon estate disputes in Hong Kong, receiving widespread coverage in the press since 2015.

The firm promoted Daniel Ng to partner in January 2022.

Notable litigation clients include Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings, Cigna Worldwide General insurance Company, GFG Alliance, Harbour Plaza 8 Degrees, Hip Hing Construction Company and ST Engineering Mission Software & Services.

Client feedback

“They analysed the case precisely, and provided strategic and proper advice, which led to favourable results.” – Commercial and transactions

Kevin Hong

“Kevin Hong is brilliant. We always appreciate his strong support to achieve the best for clients. We could understand the whole picture of the case and arguments easily from his comments. He provided professional and strategic advice and achieved favourable results for our client.”

Camille Jojo

“He is extremely good in working out the best solutions for his client and making sure that everything is done to achieve success.”

O’Melveny & Myers is recognised for its international litigation and arbitration practice. The firm works on high-profile M&A, joint venture, insurance, financial services and IP disputes. Managing partner Denis Brock is recognised for his work in the commercial and arbitration space. Kieran Humphrey is another lawyer to note.

In commercial and transactions, the firm represented a major contractor in high-profile proceedings relating to the construction of a key section of the $10 billion Shatin-Central rail link.

International arbitration case highlights include representing an international pharmaceuticals company in ICC arbitration against an Eastern European distributor; representing a leading Asian biopharmaceuticals company in an HKIAC arbitration case; and representing a South Korean utilities company in an ICC arbitration case.

The rest of the clients the firm has acted for during the research period remain confidential.

Client feedback

“They are extremely experienced in commercial litigation and provide practical and effective solutions.” – Commercial and transactions

Kieran Humphrey

“He is an excellent lawyer, very professional and experienced in litigation. He was always responsive and attentive to details. His solutions were always practical and effective.”

Ropes & Gray is best known in Hong Kong and China for its white-collar expertise handling international investigations, anti-corruption matters and regulatory compliance. The firm works with clients operating in some of the most highly regulated sectors in the region, including life sciences, private equity, financial services, real estate, technology and consumer goods. It has been expanding its areas of expertise, including insolvency.

Partners Andrew Dale, Geoffrey Atkins and David Zhang are recognised in the white-collar crime sphere.

Details of all cases the firm advised on during the research period remain confidential.

Established in 2002, SD & Partners is headquartered in Shenzhen with offices in Beijing and Qianhai. The firm is active in the areas of civil and commercial disputes as well as international arbitration. Its specialty lies in disputes relating to construction and engineering, real estate and banking and finance.

Key partners at the firm include Yongjing Wang, Wei Li and Xingming Kou. They are all adept in financial and corporate matters as well as construction and real estate disputes.

Case highlights include representing New Sea Union Technology Group in defending a property damage claim brought by Yisibo Network System (Shenzhen) at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court; representing Shenzhen Yuehua Investment Group and Huidong Yuehua Investment Group in a contract dispute; and representing seven defendants, including Cybernaut Investment Group, in a contract dispute with Shenzhen Jiuce Investment Group.

Key clients include Huizhou Pongyuen Real Estate Development, Shenzhen CLOU Electronics, Shenzhen Jiazhao Sunshine Investment Management and Shenzhen Kehao Investment.

The firm welcomed eight partners in total during the research period: Su Han, Fei Yang, Guoqiang Dong, Jiyu Yuan, Yan Zhang, Yuanfeng Deng, Zhihong Zeng and Beibei Lin.

Shearman & Sterling is recognised for its work in white-collar crime with a team where every attorney who works on China investigations is fluent in Mandarin. The firm is particularly active in China-related compliance and investigations, acting for clients across pharmaceuticals, media, financial services, consumer goods, energy and insurance sectors. The firm also has an established international arbitration team on the ground.

Brian Burke oversees Asia-Pacific matters and splits his time between China and the US. Burke is well regarded in the areas of corporate investigations, anti-corruption and FCPA enforcement relating to China. Nils Eliasson is an international arbitration expert who splits his time between Singapore and Beijing. He regularly acts on investment treaty arbitrations, project development and construction-related disputes.

Shihui Partners’ dispute resolution team is active in commercial and transactions. It often represents clients in commercial dispute resolution cases in courts at all levels, including the Supreme Court and local high courts. It also advises clients on dispute matters related to equity investments and commercial transactions. Key partners at the practice include Mingze Jiang, Jiayu Zhang, Yulong Lai, Jiaying Wang and Mingjiang Weng.

Notable commercial disputes include representing DHL logistics in a logistics contract dispute over bonded warehousing goods in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone at the Shanghai Arbitration Commission; acting for well-known international kindergarten brand Kids R Kids in equity disputes; and representing a company affiliated to the Asia Financial Cooperation Association (AFCA) in a series of disputes over financial loan contracts.

The firm has hired a number of lawyers from King & Wood Mallesons (KWM) as partners in the past 12 months, including employment lawyers Chang Liu and Hongyuan Zhang, as well as IP experts Weining Yue, Zhengyu Li, Mingyue Ma and Qian Huang. In addition, the firm’s IP team also recruited four counsels from KWM.

Daoxila, Lonsen and Shanghai Jiuwei Investment are some of the firm’s key clients.

Sidley Austin regularly represents clients in cross-border disputes and regulatory and enforcement actions. With a growing international arbitration practice, the firm is frequently called upon to advise on complex arbitration matters, both in commercial and investor-state arbitrations. The firm is adept in handling major multi-jurisdictional investigations and FCPA matters across the region, and is particularly sought after by clients in the energy, PE funds, fintech and financial services sectors.

Yuet Ming Tham is recognised for her white-collar crime work, while Friven Yeoh is well known in the commercial litigation and international arbitration space.

The details of all cases the firm worked on during the research period remain highly confidential. However, the firm has been acting for clients before the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center (HKIAC), the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC) and the ICC concerning joint venture, sales and purchase agreements, post-M&A and other contractual issues. The firm was also active with criminal and internal investigations as well as implementing compliance programmes.

Client feedback

“Sidley Austin is professional and responsive. They provide advice which enables clients to achieve their strategic objectives, and they have an unparalleled insight into the treatment of a legal issue in different jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region.” – International arbitration

“They are organised, thorough and have strength in depth when it comes to international arbitration in the Asia-Pacific region. They have strong and compelling advocates in their team.” – International arbitration

Tai-Heng Cheng

“Very well connected, with good insight into underlying facts and legally strong.”

Sophia Tong

“Sophia’s legal knowledge is exceptional. She is a real team player, and it was a pleasure to collaborate with her on our case.”

Friven Yeoh

“He is a very experienced, sensible and skilled advocate.”

Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom provides clients with expert advice on a range of high-value and complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. The team in Asia is particularly renowned for acting in global litigation and arbitration cases involving different systems of national law as well as private and public international law. Key clients are active in industries such as manufacturing, technology and telecommunications, financial services and healthcare. The firm also has a strong anti-corruption and white-collar crime practice.

The firm’s attorneys are qualified in several jurisdictions and can handle both litigation and cross-border investigation matters. Key names in the litigation and arbitration department include Bradley Klein and Rory McAlpine. Steve Kwok is known for his regulatory compliance and white-collar crime expertise.

In commercial and transactions, the firm is representing Grandview Private Trust Company in a $40 billion dispute involving litigation in the courts of Hong Kong, Taiwan, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and in various US courts. The dispute concerns the handling of assets of a Taiwanese individual, the owner of The Formosa Plastics Group, who died in 2008. In June 2022, the Bermuda Supreme Court gave judgment on the main action, finding in favour of the firm’s client on all issues.

Another commercial dispute had the firm representing Baidu, Inc and two of Baidu’s senior officers in securing the dismissal of a federal securities class action alleging that the company had misrepresented its ability to comply with Chinese internet content regulations in a series of 12 public statements spanning more than a year. The firm is also representing the company in two putative federal securities class actions filed in the US District Court, alleging that the company made material misrepresentations about its business, operations and compliance policies, as well as its subsidiary’s business, operations and financial performance in violation of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The firm’s litigation clients include 360 DigiTech, 58.com, Didi Global, Kanzhun, LexinFintech Holdings, NIO, RLX Technology and ZTO Express.

Headquartered in Hangzhou, T&C Law Firm is the largest and among the leading law firms in Zhejiang province. With about 400 attorneys and specialists, the firm’s practice spans all fields of law across a variety of industries. Dispute resolution is the firm’s core practice and it is active in domestic disputes, international arbitration and foreign-related commercial litigation.

Linyong Fu is a key partner at the firm who is very knowledgeable in international arbitration and litigation with rich experience in cross-border investment, compliance, administrative investigation and litigation.

Work highlights in the past 12 months include acting for the Ningbo branch of China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation in a dispute over the import and export credit insurance contract against Ningbo Yiyuan Lighting Technology; and advising shoe manufacturing company Geox in a shareholder dispute against one of its shareholders and affiliated companies of its former Chinese distributor Shanghai Rizhu Trading.

The rest of the clients the firm has advised on during the research period remain confidential.

T&C Law Firm is one of the founding members of the Sino-Global Legal Alliance (SGLA). SGLA is the first legal alliance in China consisting of Hogan Lovells and a select group of PRC firms across key regions in China.

Linyong (Leon) Fu

“Satisfies clients’ needs by combining their requirements with legal expertise and experience.”

Founded in May 2000, Tahota Law Firm set up its office in Beijing in 2003 and has become one of the fastest-growing law firms in the region. The firm has more than 40 partners and about 100 practising lawyers and consultants, some of which serve as arbitrators in various local and professional arbitration institutions and have rich experience in handling litigation and arbitration matters.

Key names in the commercial and transactions space include lead partner Shoutai Cheng, senior partners Jianming Gan, Jun Liu and Lv Zhang.

In commercial disputes, the firm represented a subsidiary of a leading chemicals enterprise in China under the direct supervision of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) in a series of contract disputes with an affiliated company of an energy company in Henan Province. This case is worth more than Rmb1 billion ($145 million). In another case, the firm represented a wholly-owned real estate development company under China South City Holdings in a dispute with a subsidiary of Metro Holdings Group concerning damages to the interests of the company and shareholders.

Xuping Xiang, Jiaqing Zhang and Lei Zhang have joined firm as senior partners in the past 12 months. The firm has also made 11 promotions during the same period.

The rest of the clients the firm has advised on during the research period remain confidential.

Highly reputed for trademark disputes, Wanhuida Intellectual Property is one of the strongest firms in IP disputes. The team has nearly 100 lawyers specialised in IP litigation and enforcement with an emphasis on anti-counterfeiting work. Led by IP specialist Gang Bai, the team is active in sectors including consumer goods, e-commerce, luxury goods, machinery and pharmaceuticals as well as travel and leisure. Hui Huang is another key contact.

In one key case, the firm successfully represented Jiangxi Milan Wedding Photograph Shooting, a major player in the wedding photograph shooting business, in reversing unfavourable China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and court decisions invalidating its registered trademark in class 41. The case was selected as one of the “SPC’s 50 exemplary IP cases of the year” in 2022.

In another case, the firm represented an individual in successfully invalidating the registration of a trademark filed by a Chinese squatter through retrial proceedings. The retrial decision turned the table for the client in its 22-year trademark battle against the copycat trademark.

The IP team was also triumphant for German multinational pharmaceuticals and biotechnology company Bayer in a patent administrative enforcement action against two Chinese infringers offering to sell the client’s patented drug rivaroxaban at exhibitions and websites. The firm obtained favourable administrative decisions from the Nanjing IP Office.

In March 2022, the firm hired Rong Mao as a counsel, previously a senior lawyer at Reed Smith.

The firm’s significant IP clients include Lacoste, Nanjing Sanhome, Soundking Electronics and Sound and Shenzhen Stahlwerk Welding Technology.

Watson & Band, one of China’s oldest intellectual property service providers, offers agency and consulting services concerning trademarks, patents and copyrights, as well as enforcement and litigation services and commercial IP-related legal services. Its industry specialty lies in the fields of chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electronics, telecommunications, metallic materials and semiconductors.

Managing partner Jean Yang is based in the firm’s office in Shanghai. She specialises in trademark and copyright applications and litigation concerning anti-counterfeiting. Liming Zhang, Jianguo Huang, Cathy Wu, Joe Liu and Xiaobo He are other key partners.

In one IP dispute, the firm advised circular materials technology company Umicore in a patent invalidation case involving a ternary cathode material used in lithium-ion batteries. Another case sees the firm acting for Chengdu IXING Biotechnology in a graphical user interface (GUI) design patent infringement lawsuit.

China Post Technology, Hangzhou Deep Vision Technology, KEFUKAI Process Equipment (Shanghai) and TDK China are some of the firm’s clients.

Withers’ family and matrimonial practice positions itself as a formidable player in the market, with the largest dedicated team in Hong Kong. The team includes specialist accredited Hong Kong lawyers, trained collaborative lawyers and English family law specialists. It has deep experience acting for high-net-worth individuals with international trusts and complex corporate assets. The firm also expanded its general litigation and international arbitration practice by hiring experienced partners and teams. Its newly established team covers a wide range of disputes across the construction, commodities, energy, financial services, healthcare and technology industries.

Partner Jocelyn Tsao heads the firm’s family and matrimonial practice. Samantha Gershon and Billy Ko are other key figures in the team. Partners Joseph Chu, Michael Chik and Sherlin Tung lead the firm’s international arbitration practice.

Details of all cases the firm has advised on during the research period remain confidential.

In January 2022, family and divorce specialists Rita Ku and Sharon Ser left Withers and established boutique firm Rita Ku & Ser.

Client feedback

“Multi-disciplinary firm with vast experience. They deliver consistent high-quality service of clients’ needs and careful management of expectations. They are one of the leading firms experienced in heavy-duty matrimonial finance and children’s disputes.” – Family and matrimonial

“They have an excellent reputation in family law, with dedicated and professional staff such as partner Billy Ko.” – Family and matrimonial

“Withers’ has a deep legal bench over a wide array of topics, with industry experience and connections that are invaluable in challenging legal situations. We have experienced this first-hand.” – International arbitration

Billy Ko

“He is clear and transparent in his approach, deals well with clients and service providers and is very knowledgeable in family law.”

Anisha Ramanathan

“She is calm, dedicated, and responsive. She is also immensely knowledgeable and modest about it. Overall, a wonderful person to work with on challenging matters, whether financial or child related.”

Jocelyn Tsao

“She is simply very good and knowledgeable. Client management, including the management of expectations and team leadership, is impeccable.”

Sherlin Tung

“Sherlin is someone who we really value here at Paradox. She has guided us through some of our harshest storms. Her forward-thinking mentality, mixed with her ability to share not just the legal perspective, but the business perspective, has added more strategic complexity to our legal solutions. We also really appreciate how client-oriented she is with her work and the can-do energy she brings. The enthusiasm she projects is infectious and always boosts our team’s morale during stressful situations or during mundane legal check-ins. No problem or situation too deep for her. She always works out a solution.”

Yingke Law Firm is known for construction engineering and real estate disputes. Key partners include Luhai Lin and Yiming Li. Lin has extensive experience in the formulation of laws and regulations, judicial interpretations and operating guidelines in the fields of construction and real estate. Lin and Li are both very active in contentious construction matters.

In a typical “Belt and Road” case, the firm represented Xing Fa (Hong Kong) Imp & Exp in an arbitration of a financing circular trade dispute against Lonkey Industrial Guangzhou. This rare criminal-civil intersection case, which involves the laws of China, Hong Kong and Korea, has also been rated as an “Outstanding Foreign-related Legal Service Case” by Beijing Lawyers Association 2021 for its significance.

Key clients include China Life Property & Casualty, China National Petroleum Corporation, Nanjing Huamulan Film and Media and Shaanxi Financial Holding Group.

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.”