Baker McKenzie FenXun advises on a broad range of disputes, including banking, shareholder and property-related litigation, and complex family conflicts. Clients notably benefit from the joint operation’s ability to advise on both international and PRC laws through its integrated platform. Simon Hui leads the firm’s investigations, compliance and ethics, and dispute resolution team in Shanghai; he has longstanding experience of handling major disputes, as well as regulatory matters such as anti-corruption, unfair competition, and supply chain management-related issues. In Beijing, recently promoted counsel Hailin Cui focuses on China-related arbitration. Over in Hong Kong, Cynthia Tang, who acts in domestic and global litigation, along with regulatory enforcement work, heads the dispute resolution group for the firm’s Hong Kong and China offices, and Kwun Yee Cheung is an insolvency and commercial litigation specialist. Other key litigation partners in Hong Kong are Bryan Ng, Gary Seib, Roberta Chan and Ronald Sum.

Clifford Chance LLP‘s ‘litigation team is absolutely top-notch‘. With longstanding on-the-ground experience in Greater China, the firm’s disputes practice is consistently selected by both corporations and individuals to act in high-value commercial litigation. Representative areas of expertise include shareholder disputes, as well as trust and commercial conflicts that involve cross-jurisdictional issues. Clients further appreciate the firm’s regulatory defence practice’s credentials. IP and technology disputes expert Ling Ho is Hong Kong litigation and dispute resolution head; Donna Wacker is a renowned senior practitioner who handles complex commercial, financial services and insolvency litigation; Soo Khim Keoy is a ‘first-rate litigator‘; and Thomas Walsh is an aviation and insolvency-related litigation specialist. Also in Hong Kong, Michael Wang focuses on banking litigation and contentious regulatory matters, and Jonathan Wong represents financial institutions, investors and multinationals in disputes. In Shanghai, PRC, Hong Kong and New York-qualified practitioner Lei Shi is experienced in PRC-related commercial litigation.

Acting for both domestic and international clients, DLA Piper‘s ‘very strong team‘ handles a wide range of China-related disputes. Examples include shareholder and director conflicts, regulatory investigations, and disputes involving banking and finance, employment, IP, construction, shipping and cyber fraud. The group is also experienced in handling private client cases. In Hong Kong, Harris Chan, who represents banks, securities companies, listed companies and high-net-worth individuals, is a commercial litigation expert with extensive experience before courts of all levels in Hong Kong; the ‘excellent‘ Kevin Chan acts for banking, investment, real estate, insurance and logistics clients in commercial and cross-border disputes; and Satpal Gobindpuri‘s disputes workload frequently contains corporate matters with multi-jurisdictional features. In Shanghai, China international arbitration head Xiaoshan Chen handles international disputes concerning construction, joint ventures, energy and shipping.

Herbert Smith Freehills‘ Greater China disputes group covers a broad array of contentious work, including litigation arising from financial services regulatory investigations, insurance disputes, fraud, and restructuring and insolvency issues. The Hong Kong-based team also handles a considerable volume of arbitration-related litigation work, and of particular note, the firm is able to provide PRC legal advice through its joint operation with Shanghai law firm Kewei Law Firm. Commercial and insurance litigation expert Gareth Thomas heads up the Hong Kong commercial disputes practice, which includes Rachael Shek, who is particularly focused on banking litigation, corporate loan recovery work, private wealth disputes, and joint venture and shareholder conflicts. Another key Greater China litigation partner, Jojo Fan is a banking litigation specialist, who is routinely engaged by financial services clients, particularly Chinese banks and financial institutions.

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP‘s team is routinely instructed by clients facing bet-the-company claims across Greater China. Cross-border dispute specialist Tiana Zhang, who has litigation experience in both the US and China, leads the Mainland China litigation practice from Shanghai, where Yue Qiu also acts in cross-border litigation. The Hong Kong practice is co-led by Paul Quinn, who focuses on professional negligence, cross-border claims, insolvency, fraud, directors’ duties, and shareholder disputes; financial disputes expert Amy Ngan, who is ‘always across the detail‘; and Fergus Saurin, a specialist in capital markets, M&A and shareholder disputes, as well as banking and international trade and investment cases. The other key figures are former practice co-head Kelly Naphtali, whose wide-ranging practice covers asset recovery, professional negligence, borrower default, and fund and shareholder disputes; Cori Lable, who leads the investigations and white-collar practice; and Jodi Wu, an expert in internal investigations, compliance and cross-border litigation.

With ‘the capabilities to handle all aspects of a client’s legal needs‘, Norton Rose Fulbright‘s Hong Kong-based practice handles a range of high-stakes  litigation for regional and global financial institutions. The team also assists with complex family and probate disputes, along with construction-related conflicts. Other areas of strength range from contentious regulatory and white-collar matters, to cyber-fraud cases, injunctions, mis-selling, debt recovery proceedings, and bankruptcy and insolvency-related work. The track record of practice head Camille Jojo includes banking, shareholder and general commercial disputes, contentious trust and probate cases, and insolvency-related litigation, while Alfred Wu is particularly focused on construction disputes. The next line of practitioners showcases the ‘brilliant‘ Kevin Hong, who acts in disputes concerning commercial law, M&A and joint ventures, as well matters involving technology, sales of goods, construction, shipping and insurance, and Daniel Ng, who represents banks, financial institutions and corporations in contentious matters.

The litigation practice of UK-headquartered firm Clyde & Co LLP is experienced in managing disputes involving challenging regions, such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The firm additionally provides onshore Chinese law capability through its joint law venture (JLV) with PRC firm Westlink Partnership. The disputes practice in China is led by commercial and investment disputes expert Ik Wei Chong, who divides his time between Shanghai and Singapore, while Canming Wang, who specialises in Chinese court work, heads up the JVL’s China litigation offering. Also highly regarded, Nicholas Lum acts in international trade, commodities, shipping and general commercial disputes.

Latham & Watkins LLP’s Greater China litigation and trial team focuses on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes, along with high-stakes domestic commercial litigation, arbitration and contentious regulatory matters. Practice chair Hui Xu is particularly focused on multi-jurisdictional, white-collar investigations and litigation, and Dominic Geiser, a summer 2022 partner recruit from Herbert Smith Freehills, is a specialist in contractual, financial and company disputes, as well as conflicts involving investors, shareholders and joint ventures. Promoted to counsel in the firm’s Beijing office in early 2023, Sean Wu acts in disputes concerning fraud, sanctions, and anti-corruption and anti-bribery issues.

Morrison Foerster‘s ‘solid‘ Hong Kong-based dispute resolution practice is consistently instructed to handle high-stakes, multi-jurisdictional disputes. The team acts in disputes across a range of sectors, including technology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, energy and chemicals, as well as construction, manufacturing, telecoms, private equity and real estate. Practice head and commercial litigation specialist Timothy Blakely is ‘a true expert in resolving clients' concerns‘, and Chen Zhu is an expert in commercial and securities litigation, along with investigations and defence-side white-collar work. In June 2023, former partner Sarah Thomas departed for an in-house role.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP has ‘first-class international capabilities for complex, cross-border litigation‘. The practice consistently acts in complex global litigation involving different systems of national law, as well as private and public international law issues. In addition to commercial litigation, the team is particularly lauded for its representation of China-based issuers in US securities litigation. The Hong Kong-based team is headed by ‘standout litigation lawyer‘ and commercial disputes specialist Rory McAlpine. Fellow partner Steve Kwok handles first-instance trial and appellate litigation in US federal and state courts, along with US regulatory enforcement matters.

Jones Day‘s China-based disputes team routinely acts in litigation before Mainland China’s courts (through local counsel), while Chinese clients additionally benefit from the firm’s enviable US and cross-border litigation experience. In Hong Kong, Peter Wang‘s broad practice covers complex commercial disputes, and Samuel Ngo is ‘an exceptionally experienced practitioner‘. IP disputes specialist Haifeng Huang and antitrust expert Qiang Xue both split their time between Hong Kong and Beijing, while in Shanghai, of counsel Lillian He focuses on dispute resolution and internal investigations. At associate level, Liya He assists multinational companies with global disputes.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP‘s experience includes defending large Chinese state-owned banks in critical disputes in the US. On the Mainland, Beijing-based Xiao Liu ‘faces complex situations calmly‘; Shanghai managing partner Haiyan Tang represents China-based companies in cross-border litigation; and associate Yixuan Zhu regularly acts in commercial litigation involving US courts. Other key figures are Hong Kong-based John Rhie and Duncan Watson KC, along with Carey Ramos, who works across the firm’s Hong Kong and New York offices.

Delivering ‘creative and nimble solutions for complex disputes‘, Stephenson Harwood acts in a range of contentious matters, including corporate, finance, trust, and insolvency and restructuring matters. The team is also able to offer PRC legal advice through its Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) with Guangzhou-based Wei Tu Law Firm. In Hong Kong, Ian Childs acts in complex civil litigation; Ivan Ng is an experienced commercial litigator; Jamie Stranger is another disputes expert; and Emily Li is ‘an excellent junior partner‘. Shanghai-based Evangeline Quek specialises in commercial dispute resolution.

Dentons, which in August 2023 severed formal ties with Dacheng Law Offices, has extensive experience in litigation, arbitration and enforcement matters. Civil and commercial litigation specialist Tao Li leads the litigation team from Beijing. In Shanghai, the experience of Huixuan Han includes disputes involving finance, real estate, construction and corporate conflicts.

With ‘excellent experience in large-scale, cross-border work‘, Dorsey & Whitney LLP represents individuals, business entities and governments in complex disputes. The firm’s Mainland China offices’ litigation practice is led by Ray Liu, whose practice covers both cross-border disputes and US litigation. At associate level, Justin Wang focuses on cross-border commercial litigation.

Paul Hastings LLP‘s China dispute resolution practice routinely handles bet-the-company litigation involving national security issues, export controls, sanctions, data privacy, securities enforcement and regulatory disputes. Hong Kong and Shanghai-based international litigation specialist Shaun Wu is practice chair, and Phoebe Yan in Shanghai assists with internal investigations into bribery and corruption, as well as trade compliance-related investigations.