The Guangdong province is home to over 4,000 law firms and 70,000 legal experts. Guangdong’s economy is currently the largest of any provincial-level division in China, with a GDP of 13.57 trillion RMB ($1.9 trillion in GDP nominal) in 2023, contributing approximately 10.6% of the total economic output of mainland China. As such, many all-China law firms have regional branches in Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Guangzhou is the provincial capital and largest city in the Guangdong province. The economic downturn has dampened activities like mergers, acquisitions, private equity, and real estate, while leading an increase in disputes, particularly in bankruptcy and restructuring cases. Due to its proximity to Shenzhen, firms in Guangzhou often provide work for clients regarding the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Shenzhen is a special economic zone and the third most populous city by urban population in China after Shanghai and Beijing. The Port of Shenzhen is the world’s fourth busiest container port. Work in this city often revolve around the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, foreign direct investment, and its shipping industry.

Shanghai-headquartered AllBright Law Offices has two offices in Guangdong province. In the Guangzhou office, Haiyan Yang is regularly instructed by clients in commercial contractual disputes. Zheng Qin is well-experienced in disputes arising from fixed asset loan contracts and equity purchase obligations. In Shenzhen, Xuanling Guo’s practice focuses on private wealth management and family business, including inheritance, wealth management, and family dispute resolution.

Headquartered in Shenzhen, China Commercial Law Co is highly regarded nationally for its domestic and Hong Kong capital markets offering which it acts for public and private sector clients with listings and asset restructurings. Its caseload also features bankruptcy and restructuring, disposal od non-performing assets and a broad range of commercial disputes. The team is jointly led by Bo Wu, Junhui Guo, and Huaying Tang. Wu is an expert in providing capital market securities as well as large equity-related litigation and arbitration cases. Guo handles IPOs , refinancing and asset reorganisation of listed companies, and equity incentives for listed companies, while Tang acts in high-value and sensitive contractual disputes.

Dacheng has a strong ground presence in Guangdong, with over one-hundred-and-sixty partners spread across the region. Zhangkai Ma leads the Guangzhou office, while Jianfeng Cheng leads the Shenzhen office, both are experienced corporate lawyers with extensive cross-border arbitration experience. Within the sizeable team, Qinghua Lu focuses on infrastructure, real estate construction, energy, and environmental mandates. James Lan has a particular focus in cross-border investment, particularly in Indonesian investment. Jian Zhang heads the Shenzhen office M&A group, and regularly assists technology companies, property development clients, and investment funds with corporate transactions.

With offices in both Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Fangda Partners has a strong focus on the Greater Bay Area. The team is well-equipped to handle M&A, disputes and regulatory compliance matters. In Guangzhou, Kate Yin, who also spends her time in Beijing, leads the practice. Huanyan Zhang regularly collaborates with the firm’s Shanghai and Beijing offices on major strategic investments and restructuring mandates. In Shenzhen, Claudia (Shaojun) Yun heads the office. Qiang Ma is experienced in advising clients from highly regulated industries, including medical and semiconductor manufacturing, in high-value domestic transactions.

Guanghe Law Firm has a solid track record in real estate and construction matters, representing state-owned construction companies, regional developers and financial institutions in a broad range of matters. It's recent caseload also features listings, M&A transactions, commercial disputes, and private wealth management. Xiuying Chen is an expert in bond issuance, often assisting clients with government special bond issuance. Wenhua Huang regularly acts for private funds in acquisitions. Daikun Xiong is experienced in assisting families in inheritance disputes. The firm is headquartered in Shenzhen, with offices in mainland China and overseas.

Jincheng Tongda & Neal has been active in Guangdong province since 2003 when it established its office in Shenzhen, and its regional offering expanded further with an additional office in Guangzhou in 2020. The Shenzhen practice has a particular focus on assisting companies to list on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, as well as international stock exchanges, and has an established IP offering assisting private enterprises and high-tech companies on intellectual property rights and protection matters. Yinhong Liu leads the Shenzhen practice and has strong experience in advising companies to list on the NASDAQ Main Board. Lei Jia is an expert in bankruptcy reorganisations, while Lei Jia specialises in dispute resolution, including both domestic and international arbitration and bankruptcy.

The Jingtian & Gongcheng Guangzhou office is particularly well-known for its solid expertise in cross-border dispute resolution, and maritime and international trade. Bangwei Xu leads the Guangzhou office and excels in IP and company disputes. An expert in international trade and maritime law, Bo Yang regularly handles contract disputes, criminal fraud, and liability. Linming Jin is greatly experienced in construction matters and regularly advises local governments on various infrastructure projects. Pengfei Xu heads the Shenzhen office.

With offices in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Haikou, and Hong Kong, JunHe LLP has a strong network of offices in the Greater Bay area. Ping (Pete) Zhang and Jianwei Zhang head the Guangzhou and Shenzhen offices, respectively. Joe Wan, a specialist in debt and equity as well as corporate and commercial law, regularly assists clients with A-share listings on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Jin Liu, an experienced banking and finance lawyer, has extensive experience in advising both domestic and foreign clients on funds and loans. Jiwei (Jervis) Yao regularly acts for clients in the TMT and pharmaceutical sectors on their Series-B financing and IPOs on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

JunZeJun Law Offices' Shenzhen and Guangzhou have a particularly strong focus on commercial disputes and litigation, as well as asset-backed security and structured finance transactions. In Shenzhen, Deyuan Jiang excels in advising on compliance and disputes for financial services clients. Zetong Chen specialises in commercial disputes, including arbitration. In Guangzhou, Jian (Danny) Ye is an expert in both domestic and international IP disputes.

Kangda Law Firm has a long presence in Guangdong, having opened its Guangzhou and Shenzhen office in 1996 and 1994 respectively. Xuechen Wang heads the Guangzhou practice, and regularly assists investors with the public issuance of corporate bonds. Yu Zhong is experienced in assisting clients with listings on both the Beijing and Shenzhen stock exchanges. Rui Qiao, who is well-experienced in financial disputes, including matters with an element of criminal defence, leads the Shenzhen team.

King & Wood Mallesons has a strong focus in the Pearl River Delta, its Guangdong offices in Guangzhou and Shenzhen offices are supported by other Southern China offices in Hong Kong, Sanya, Haikou, and Zhuhai. Lixin Wang leads the Guangzhou practice which includes Ke Cheng who specialises in dispute resolution, regularly assisting clients who are listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and Jianxue Wang who acts for issuers and underwriters regarding IPOs on both domestic and foreign stock exchanges. In Shenzhen, Xianlong Zhao leads the team and is supported by Siyu Song, a corporate and securities practitioner, who regularly handles cross-border equity transfers and related disputes.

Lawsons Law Office is jointly led by Xuanyun Guan and Jianwei Lei and focuses on contentious matters representing clients in sectors including financial services, media and entertainment, real estate and construction. Guan specialises in real estate-related disputes, such as issues surrounding fraud and property rights, and Lei has a particularly strong record concerning financial fraud disputes. Meanwhile, Xiaolin Li is experienced in high-value civil disputes.

PW & Partners is a Guangzhou-based firm that is regularly instructed by large manufacturing and utilities companies on corporate compliance and employment matters. James Peng leads the practice and regularly assists state-owned and international clients with large infrastructure transactions. Yan (Ada) Wang advises international companies on corporate compliance and IP disputes. Wei Wang, a disputes specialist, excels in corporate governance disputes.

Shihui Partners is jointly led by George Niu, Raymond Wang, and Rui Wang. Based in Shenzhen, Beijing, and Shanghai, Niu assists e-commerce clients with fund investments, cross-border M&A, and listings. Splitting their time between Shenzhen and Beijing, Raymond Wang is an expert in company compliance and data protection, especially in the healthcare and life sciences, and TMT sectors. Based solely in Shenzhen, Rui Wang is recommended for private equity fund structuring.

Sundial Law Firm is a Shenzhen-headquartered full-service firm with particular strength in capital markets and securities.  The firm continues to expand within the Greater Bay Area and in March 2024 it established a Hong Kong office.  Yunya Ma is a key name to note.

Chengdu-headquartered Tahota Law Firm has a strong regional presence in Guangdong province. Shenzhen-based Yuanbing Huang leads the practice and is regularly instructed in contractual disputes and arbitration, while also assisting in compensation and resettlement plans. Chunli Zhang is experienced in construction and real estate matters. Lv Zhang heads the Guangzhou office and handles bond issuance at the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

Maritime boutique firm Wang Jing & Co continues to handle a steady flow of shipping, international trade, insurance, and offshore construction projects. The practice has a large number of offices in the coastal cities of China, including in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Xiangyong Chen splits his time between Guangzhou and Shanghai, and is widely regarded as an expert in various maritime disputes, including ship collisions, insurance fraud, and maritime damage. Based in Guangzhou, John Wang regularly advises on international trade and shipping matters.

Wang Jing & GH Law Firm, a full-service firm headquartered in Guangzhou, has notable expertise in shipping, real estate, gaming, and technology sectors. It also has a solid track record in handling urban renewal projects, and counts Guangzhou Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, Guangzhou Station Urban Renewal and Guangzhou Haizhu Urban Renewal as new clients which the team advised on a series of multibillion-RMB mega urban village renovation projects. The firm continues to expand globally and 2023 saw the opening of its Tokyo office and the establishment of cooperation with a law firm in Turkey. The practice is jointly led by Sam Huang who regularly advises local government authorities on municipal housing and urban development projects, internet specialist  Jie Yang, who is advising Tencent regarding a compliance assessment and maritime veteran Jing Wang. Jiaxin Wan regularly supports the practice in real estate and real estate-related financing matters.

Wei Tu Law Firm, a firm based in Guangzhou, holds a CEPA association with Stephenson Harwood Hong Kong. Leveraing this, it regularly handles the Chinese aspects of cross-border corporate finance matters for clients with a presence in Hong Kong. Practice head Zoe Zhou advises clients on cross-border financing arrangements and data privacy and compliance matters. Henry Zhu is well-versed in shipping and international disputes, particularly in East and South-East Asia.

Yingke Law Firm‘s Guangdong offices acts for clients within the Greater Bay area. Wangdong Peng leads the Shenzhen office. Wei Li specialises in family law and regularly advises on estate and wealth management. Zhiqiang Wang is regularly instructed in construction disputes. In Guangzhou, Jun He is recommended for non-litigation financial matters, non-performing asset disposals, and debt restructurings.

Led by Baisha Zhang, the Zhong Lun Law Firm Guangzhou office is a popular choice for a wide range of corporate and commercial matters. Tao Jin’s practice focuses on Chinese mainland capital markets, private equity, and other financial products. Jie Chen specialises in dispute resolution, including commercial crime, criminal compliance, and insolvency organisation. Boming Qian leads the Shenzhen office. Bijun Huang acts for clients on matters regarding offshore capital markets and alternative investments, often in the TMT, healthcare, and financial industries. Furong Deng, a real estate and construction specialist, has notable experience in construction litigation.

Based in Guangzhou, Zhuoxin Law Firm handles a broad mix of contentious and non-contentious commercial matters for Chinese entities and multinational companies. Practice head James Chen is recommended for international trade and employment disputes.