Guangdong

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

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

Among its publishable matters, the firm advised Gyges Labs, an AI wearable technology company, on a patent infringement comparison analysis in a cross‑border IP dispute involving a U.S. Section 337 investigation. INGENIOSPEC, a U.S. electronic eyewear company, alleged that a domestic smart‑glasses manufacturer had infringed its patents, creating potential risks of U.S. market exclusion and damages. 

By examining claim scope and technical feature alignment, the firm identified key differences in circuit design and functional modules, forming the basis of a Non‑Infringement Analysis Report. Working with U.S. counsel, the firm then developed negotiation strategies supported by this analysis, which contributed to a settlement between the parties. 

Patrick Zheng left Llinks in February 2025 to join Kingland Partners.

One of the earliest 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 also particularly known for its expertise in government and regulatory, and criminal disputes. 

Key names include Yan Lian, Junxi Lu and Jun Liu.  

The firm represented China Resources Land in a post-acquisition dispute arising from a breach of valuation shortfall compensation obligations. After the client acquired several medical and elderly care service entities—sectors with which it had limited prior experience—the counterparty refused to perform contractual compensation and equity pledge obligations. The legal team reviewed extensive materials to ascertain the true intent of the transaction, gathered supporting evidence, and filed a lawsuit with the Nanjing Intermediate People’s Court. The firm’s precise handling of the case, which involved complex M&A structuring and state-owned enterprise considerations, received strong recognition from the client. 

Beijing Kangda Law Firm, led by partner Lu Junxi, acted as defense counsel in a high-stakes equity transfer dispute involving Shanghai Jinxin Investment Consulting Partnership and Everbright Jinhui Investment Management (collectively “Everbright”) against Beijing Baofeng Technology and its legal representative Feng. The claimants sought approximately RMB 750 million in damages and interest for alleged breach of repurchase obligations, with further claims of RMB 4.62 billion threatened. The case arose from the high-profile Italian MPS project acquisition failure, and its outcome bore directly on Baofeng’s solvency. Retained in August 2019 under a base-plus-contingency fee arrangement, the firm secured a complete first-instance victory before the Beijing High People’s Court in 2020, with all claims dismissed. 

Zhong Yin Law Firm is highly experienced in bankruptcy reorganisation and liquidation, with a strong focus on dissolution and liquidation, bankruptcy liquidation, reorganisation, reconciliation, enterprise restructuring, debt restructuring, and the resettlement of employees from state-owned enterprises and related legal matters. Notable figures at the firm include Xiaoyu Liu, Songzhe Zheng, Xinjian Yuan, Lihua Deng, and Yu Wang. 

Among the publishable matters, the team is representing Singapore’s Santai Group in over a dozen rights protection litigations initiated simultaneously in mainland China and Singapore, involving patent rights, trade secrets, malicious litigation, and embezzlement. The firm successfully reclaimed five core patents, maintaining a competitive advantage in a market worth billions of yuan, and pursued criminal liability for the chief technology officer and civil compensation for the chief business officer. 

Previously, the firm represented Shanxi Juli Minsheng Natural Gas Reserve Co. in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei LNG Peaking Reserve Center project, utilising the EPC general contracting method for the public tender. This project involves local government investment, consortium bidding and tight deadlines, and it is the largest inland LNG project. 

In insolvency matters, the firm served as the bankruptcy manager for the merger and bankruptcy reorganisation cases of Hongye Chemical Industry Group and 28 other enterprises. Additionally, they have handled the bankruptcy liquidation case of Beijing Tianrui Xiaguang Technology Development and provided advice on the bankruptcy reorganisation case of Tangshan Fuqiang Real Estate Development. 

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

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. 

In a high-stakes intellectual property dispute, Beijing partner Jing He is defending Zhongnanhong Culture Group in a copyright infringement and unfair competition claim brought by The Pokémon Company. 

During the research period, the firm welcomed several new partners, including Li Hengxue (Shanghai, M&A and private equity), Li Jianjun (Beijing), and Wang Wenjun (Shanghai, equity partner, capital markets dispute resolution). 

King & Wood maintains its position as one of the dominant players in China’s legal market, and its Beijing headquarters is highly praised by peers and clients. The Beijing litigation teams are particularly sought after by major domestic and international banks, leading financial institutions, government-linked companies and other multinational companies in China. The firm is also well-recognised for its work in international arbitration, asset management and securities litigation and compliance. With over 100 partners and more than 400 lawyers, the team is among the largest in China. Key Beijing partners include commercial disputes partners Shouzhi Zhang and Yuwu Liu and IP disputes partners Zhongsheng Li and Jing Xu. 

During the research period, the firm represented Industrial Bank, one of the defendants, in the collective redress case arising from securities misrepresentation brought by bond investors. In the case, the issuer Dalian Machine Tool Group Corporation issued super and short-term commercial paper in the inter-bank market, with Industrial Bank acting as the lead underwriter. Due to the failure to pay timely the principal and interest of the bond, the investor filed a lawsuit, seeking to hold Industrial Bank and other intermediaries liable for the issuer’s misrepresentation. The case involves disputes such as whether the misrepresentation infringement system applies to bonds issued in the inter-bank market, how to determine misrepresentation following the cancellation of pre-suit condition, and the determination of causation in transaction. There is no precedent for these disputes. 

In government and regulatory, the firm previously advised a Chinese bank on handling the ESG investigation initiated by the Office of the Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman (CAO), the environmental and social responsibility supervisory body of the World Bank Group. This case is the first in which the CAO has received complaints against a Chinese enterprise and involves the International Finance Corporation’s largest and most controversial equity investment in China. The firm is adept at finding practical solutions in complex compliance investigations, ranging from those conducted by the US regulators under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, multilateral development banks, and those conducted by Chinese administrative enforcement authorities and criminal prosecution authorities. 

In international arbitration, the firm represented a renowned South Korean cosmetics company in multiple distribution contract disputes with its domestic distributor. The case involved complex and emerging practical challenges, including asset preservation of goods (notoriously difficult to execute), the transfer of e-commerce platform distribution rights, and the coordination of asset preservation and arbitration procedures between Hong Kong and mainland China. Through a multi-jurisdictional arbitration strategy, the team facilitated a comprehensive settlement for the client, successfully recovering disputed goods and minimising financial losses. 

In 2025, the firm promoted 33 new partners and senior advisors across its China offices and recruited several partners from Linklaters in Hong Kong. The firm opened new offices in Shanghai’s Lin-gang, Changchun in Hunan and Wuxi, Jiangsu. 

Jingtian & Gongcheng’s Beijing headquarters has won praise from the market as one of the leading commercial disputes firms. Its litigation team specialises in resolving legal matters relating to trade, investment, corporate business, finance and insurance. The firm is also growing its presence in the real estate and construction space. Partner Chungang Dong is a key name within the dispute resolution group, and he is known for his capability in commercial disputes and international arbitration. 

Among the general commercial disputes, the firm represented China High-Speed Railway Technology Co. in filing an arbitration against Henan Province Luozhou Border Highway Co. at the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission, at which the case was decided fully in the client’s favour. In another case sample, the team advised Shandong Gold Mining on the antitrust filing in respect of its acquisition of Yintai Gold. This case shows the latest position of the State Administration for Market Regulation on the gold mining industry and is expected to have a profound impact on the definition of relevant markets in the future antitrust filings of Shandong Gold and other similar gold mining enterprises. 

In intellectual property, the firm represented CATL in an infringement of patent rights case with China Innovation Aviation Technology Co. and won the first instance judgment with a total award of Rmb14.16 million. 

On the international arbitration front, the team successfully secured dismissal for Zhong De Security in its securities fraud litigation arising from notable disclosure violations committed by Leshi Internet Information and Technology Corp., Beijing, and represented it in administrative investigation procedures. The financial fraud of Leshi, which lasted for 10 consecutive years, has made the case more profound and complex than others of its kind. 

During the research period, the firm welcomed several new partners: Yanping Nie, Ganlin Lin, Yi Xu, Yingyuan Xue and Bei Wang. In 2025-2026, the firm added several prominent partners, including Liu Honghuan (senior partner, dispute resolution), Shi Bisheng (IP, former judge at Beijing IP Court), and Jiang Liwei (IP expert, former senior partner at Lian De and former judge). 

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

Commerce & Finance Law Offices is renowned for its expertise in commercial disputes, banking and finance, fund and trust, and international trade. In recent years, the firm has also expanded into international arbitration. Key partners at the firm’s Beijing headquarters include Hongji Li, Qiang Cui, Jialu Wang, and Xiaoming Guo, all specialising in commercial disputes. 

During the research period, Cui’s team represented Growth Steal Group in the largest civil litigation case in China’s history, the Suzhou toxic land billion-yuan infringement case, involving Rmb10 billion. This case, heard by the Jiangsu Higher People’s Court in the first instance, is the largest civil litigation case since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, given the high threshold for first-instance cases in higher courts. 

Li and his team represented Hainan Rubber Group in a dispute with China Huayang over joint venture control. Despite contributing 90% of the capital, Hainan Rubber Group held only 35% of the shares. After the court rejected their request to dissolve the joint venture and recover the investment, Commerce & Finance devised a plan. They filed a capital contribution dispute, won the case, and initiated a forced execution procedure to transfer China Huayang’s 65% equity to Hainan Rubber Group, making it the 100% owner. This strategy helped Hainan Rubber Group gain control quickly. 

The firm has also bolstered its team by hiring five partners from Jincheng Tongda & Neal, and two others from Kingpound Law Firm in Guangzhou and Beijing W&H Law Firm. In 2025, the firm recruited four partners in Hong Kong, including Bonnie Rong (from Han Kun), Chi-ho Kwan (from Jingtian & Gongcheng), and Kung-Wei Liu and Frank Fu (both from A&O Shearman). 

City Development Law Firm occupies, and some would argue dominates, a construction-focused space in the Shanghai legal market. The firm’s construction team consists of star lawyers with both legal and civil engineering backgrounds. The team has always been in a leading position in the field of construction with a particular forte in infrastructure, public utilities and landmark projects. Deputy directors Zhongchun Song, Rubo Han and La Wei are key names to note. 

In an ongoing contract dispute, the firm is acting for a world top 500 construction enterprise in China in Evergrande’s failure in payment. The firm also acted for a large real estate enterprise affiliated to Fangyuan Group and suing the general contractor, the Fourth Construction Bureau of China, over allegations of overdue completion arising from a commercial housing project. In another matter, the firm represented Yunnan Construction Investment Sixth Construction in an Rmb640 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. 

In 2023, the firm hired one partner Jiao He from Beijing-based Yi An Lawyers. More recently, in 2025, the firm’s Chengdu office promoted several lawyers to partnership, including Hu Lianlin, Yang Han and Xie Sijie as first-level partners.

Jia Yuan Law Offices’ dispute resolution team comprises over 40 professionals, including 13 partners. These experts are strategically located in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi’an, covering the north, east, south and west regions of China, respectively. This distribution ensures the firm can provide comprehensive and efficient legal services across the nation. 

In a landmark case, Jia Yuan Law Offices represented the Xinyong Zhonghe Accounting Firm in a securities fraud lawsuit involving over 2,000 investors against LeEco. This case, the first of its kind heard by the Beijing Financial Court, was particularly complex due to the prolonged duration of the fraudulent statements, the high value of the litigation, and the numerous parties involved. Jia Yuan Law Offices meticulously reviewed extensive documentation and submitted evidence to the court, demonstrating that Xinyong Zhonghe had exceeded industry standards in IT auditing. The firm’s innovative practices in IT auditing were specifically recognised in the court’s judgment. Additionally, Jia Yuan argued that the firm’s actions had a minimal impact on investor losses. Ultimately, the Beijing Financial Court ruled that Xinyong Zhonghe was only liable for 0.5% of the losses of investors who bought LeEco stock during a specific period, amounting to approximately Rmb5 million. 

In another significant case, Jia Yuan represented China Merchants Securities in a securities fraud lawsuit initiated by Guojin Securities. By thoroughly analysing the purpose and logic of the asset management plan, Jia Yuan argued that the case fundamentally differed from the precedent case and that there was no causal relationship between the fraudulent statements and the plaintiff’s transactions or losses. The court dismissed the plaintiff’s claims against China Merchants Securities, and the Shanghai High Court upheld this decision on appeal. 

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

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

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

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

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

The Shanghai branch, an extension of Han Kun’s dispute resolution prowess, excels in commercial and IP litigation. One of the key partners, Wei Sun, represented a major state-owned airline in a high-stakes aircraft engine sales contract dispute exceeding Rmb10 million. The client had listed three aircraft engines for transfer via the Beijing Equity Exchange, where a materials supplier (the plaintiff) submitted a bid and paid a security deposit. After disputes arose over transaction terms, the supplier sued the airline for alleged breaches. The case centred on two pivotal issues: the binding force of equity exchange transaction rules and the legal nature of the security deposit under Chinese contract law. Han Kun’s team defended the airline by rigorously demonstrating compliance with the exchange’s publicly disclosed transfer procedures and reframing the deposit as a non-punitive performance guarantee. After contested first and second-instance proceedings, the court dismissed all claims against the client, affirming the validity of the exchange’s rules and rejecting the plaintiff’s interpretation of deposit forfeiture clauses. 

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

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

The litigation and arbitration department of Guantao Law Firm is widely recognised by its peers. The firm handles a variety of complex disputes matters, being especially known for commercial and transactions-related disputes, such as high-value, complex corporate and commercial disputes, and insolvency, as well as regulatory matters. Leiming Sheng and Shaosong Sun jointly lead its disputes team, with expertise in commercial and construction disputes as well as antitrust and arbitration. Wei Jiang is also singled out for his work in the construction space. 

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

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

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

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

In early 2026, Xuanmo Jin joined the firm’s Beijing office as a partner, bringing expertise in cross-border and criminal litigation. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2025 and early 2026, the firm added equity partners in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Fuzhou and Wuhan. 

With 100 partners and over 300 lawyers, AllBright Law Offices’ litigation and arbitration practice is well regarded for its handling of commercial disputes. The firm frequently advises on matters involving the real estate, mining and metals, and financial services sectors, and is regularly instructed by both multinational companies and major domestic enterprises. Building on a strong track record in litigation, the firm is also expanding its presence in the international arbitration arena. 

Rui Guo is a key partner, serving as lead counsel in most matters relating to banking and financial services, construction, and real estate. Other notable practitioners in the commercial disputes and international arbitration space include Frank Cao, Wilber Wang, and Leo Wang. 

The firm has been active in a series of disputes arising from the failure of an asset management plan—issued by Zhongzhou Xingsheng Asset Management and distributed by Debon Securities and Zhongzhou Futures—to redeem on schedule. The matter involves 176 investors across the country, with total claims amounting to RMB 780 million filed in multiple courts. AllBright is representing Debon Securities and Zhongzhou Futures in litigation focusing on whether financial institutions fulfilled their suitability obligations when marketing and providing high-risk financial products and related services. 

AllBright also represents clients in the “Shanshui Cement” equity dispute series. The firm acted for the client in one of the two most high-profile corporate control disputes in China’s capital market—the Shanshui Cement case—securing a decisive victory after six years of litigation. 

Headquartered in Shanghai, the firm also has branches in cities including Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Fuzhou, Xi’an and Chongqing, all of which have been recognized by Benchmark Litigation China. 

Notable clients of the firm include Brother Industries, CITIC Securities, Huawei Technologies, and Jiangsu Guojing Holding Group.