The Legal 500

Fangda Partners has a well-balanced dispute resolution practice. The 12-partner team offers a wealth of experience in litigation and arbitration to international clients such as NEC and Lehman Brothers International (Europe), mainly in relation to joint ventures, construction, corporate governance, securities, corporate dissolution, international trading, banking, financial derivative transactions and shipping. Xiang Ji is a well-known and highly regarded litigator; Gordon Gao and Chaoyang Wang specialise in the prosecution and enforcement of intellectual property rights; and former deputy secretary-general of CIETAC Ming Kang focuses on foreign and international commercial arbitration. Frank Li and Benjamin Miao were both recently promoted to partner.

Global Law Office represents a wide range of foreign clients in litigation and arbitration proceedings against China-based companies, as well as acting for domestic companies in cross-border disputes. The practice has a particular focus on shipping, but also advises on construction and labour disputes. The vastly experienced Yifeng Gao is defending two Korean-based Samsung companies before the Supreme People’s Court in a $450m claim by a Hong Kong company and UK registered entity arising out of the collision of vessels in Korean seas. Lei Niu is acting for joint claimants in five international arbitration cases in London with a combined value of over €20m, against five European ship owners regarding shipbuilding contracts. Steve Kou is acting for a number of clients in CIETEC and ICC arbitrations. Nokia China is also a client.

The range, scale and complexity of work undertaken by King & Wood reflects the firm’s deep local knowledge and broad experience in international arbitration as well as domestic litigation. Highlights included representing an Australian iron ore giant in a Chinese court against a prominent Chinese steel company involving claims exceeding $110m, and acting for a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) in SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre) arbitration commenced by a US technology licensor. The latest financial crisis has also produced a series of instructions from major international banks in private equity disputes. Other expertise includes seeking or challenging the enforcement of international arbitration awards. Qian Yaozhi leads the team.

Dispute resolution is a core practice area at Jun He Law Offices. The team, many of whom are qualified arbitrators or former judges, offers a wealth of experience to international and domestic clients in commercial litigation and arbitration. The vastly experienced Honghuan Liu provides comprehensive and in-depth advice to a broad range of clients on difficult technical issues, as well as assisting on public relations crisis management in high-profile cases. Her broad practice covers a range of subject matters including product liability, IP, competition and banking, and clients have included Nike, Sony and GE. Fei Ning is well-known for his work with foreign companies.

Zhong Lun Law Firm deals with high-stakes, complex cases for many big-ticket clients in a broad range of sectors including real estate, investment, finance, insurance, product liability, IP, competition and labour law. Wilson Huo recently recovered $2.5m for a holding company registered in Hong Kong in arbitration against a Fortune 500 company headquartered in the US. Decai Zhang and Yuming Liu led a team which recently won a retrial before the Supreme People’s Court recovering over RMB60m for GL Asia Mauritius in a case relating to the enforcement of a guarantee following the insolvency of the original debtor. More than 10 of the partners are CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission) arbitrators, and the practice is further enhanced by the firm’s corporate and commercial departments. Lijun Cao is vastly experienced in arbitration matters, having previously worked at CIETAC in a number of senior roles.

Commerce & Finance Law Office has a team of internationally trained lawyers making it well-placed to act before both Chinese and foreign arbitration tribunals. Song Dihuang specialises in maritime litigation and arbitration; Jin Saibo regularly handles disputes relating to letters of credit; and Ma Jie focuses on cross-border disputes relating to private equity, M&A, foreign direct investment and international trade. Highlights included successfully representing Dongfang Weiyi Technologies in CIETAC arbitration regarding breach of a sales agency agreement, where the client was awarded $13.4m for loss of profit; a rare event in Chinese arbitration cases due to the complex nature of the calculations. Seasoned litigator Li Hongji heads the team.

Concord & Partners has a longstanding litigation and arbitration practice and has acted on some significant and complex matters in areas such as foreign investment, real estate, finance and insurance. The team also has experience dealing with appeals of regulatory decisions, administrative lawsuits and criminal matters. The firm has recently formed an exclusive partnership with UGGC & Associés with a view to assisting the French firm in its advice to overseas enterprises regarding their investments in China. Zhou Qi is recommended.

Dacheng Law Office is well-known for its ability to provide strategic dispute resolution advice, assisting clients with legal risk management and planning, pre-trial investigation and discovery, and negotiation and mediation. Jiangtao Ma mainly works with foreign clients on joint venture disputes in China. Dennis Deng has particular experience in the enforcement of Chinese court judgments and arbitral awards, as well advising on the recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in China.

DeHeng Law Office has a mature team with substantial experience in litigation and international arbitration cases involving all the major arbitral institutions. Qi Jiang has experience of handling complex cases in the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, and the Ministry of Public Security. Haijun Wang has IP expertise, and Yuxia Qiu has acted for Bayer and BHP Biliton.

Haiwen & Partners assists clients in disputes relating to international trade, foreign direct investment, finance, construction and IP. Jie Tao is qualified in China and New York making him well-placed to advise on international arbitration matters and cross-border disputes. The team has an impressive international client list and has acted for COFCO, Deutsche Bank, FedEx, Honeywell, IBM, Oracle, Procter & Gamble, and Yahoo!.

Jingtian & Gongcheng has a robust litigation and arbitration team, which is ‘smart, savvy and business-minded’, focusing on high-end commercial disputes and CIETAC arbitration. The team’s cross-border capabilities are enhanced by maintaining a strong network with many international law firms. The highly experienced Chungang Dong (‘smart, strong English, superb analytical skills’) is leading on one of the largest ever product liability actions in the US courts against Chinese enterprises. Yue Liu has significant trade mark litigation experience, and Xuejun Peng is also recommended.

The ‘quality of advice is excellent’ at Llinks Law Offices, which has a broad practice acting for local and foreign clients in litigation and local and international arbitration. Charles Qin ‘has a passion for success in this area’ and is ‘very meticulous in his work’. Advising mainly financial institutions and asset mangers, Qin recently represented Hua’an Fund Management Company against Lehman Brothers International (Europe) before the Shanghai High Court regarding the construction of a complex financial product.

Run Ming Law Office represents mainly foreign investors or foreign investment enterprises in resolving disputes arising from investments or operations in China. Yadong Wang is experienced in organising multi-disciplinary teams to deal with large-scale projects, and has a particular interest in assisting clients in reconciliation and settlement prior to or during litigation. Wang recently led on six influential cases for Beijing Qihu Technology Ltd and Qizhi Software (Beijing) (a well-known internet and safety products manufacturing enterprise). Wen Qin specialises in foreign-related dispute resolution.

Litigation boutique Tiantong & Partners is increasing its profile in this area and building a reputation for handling precedent-setting and complex civil and commercial litigation cases for clients, which primarily include major SOEs, banks, asset management companies and financial institutions. Recent work includes successfully acting in the Supreme People’s Court for the Agricultural Bank of China regarding a dispute over a securities counter-purchase contract, and acting for China Cinda Asset Management Company in a dispute over a guarantee contract. Managing partner Jiang Yong is the key contact.