Chinese-headquartered full-service heavyweight Fangda Partners provides ‘insightful and precise guidance’ to Mainland companies across a broad array of transactional, litigation and regulatory activity with a nexus to Hong Kong. Corporate and capital market transactions form the cornerstone of the firm’s offerings, with expertise in navigating clients through complex cross-border debt mandates, private equity transactions, significant M&A activities, and energy projects involving both private and public sectors. Head of corporate, Colin Law‘s ‘ability to provide tailored solutions based on his years of experience’ is appreciated by clients from a range of sectors looking to list on the HKEX (acting for both issuers and underwriters) as well as in relation to the Asian aspects of large cross-border M&A transactions. Splitting her time between Hong Kong and Beijing, Christine Chen handles offshore debt issuances for Chinese state-owned companies from a range of sectors and also excels at advising on “panda bond” issuances for foreign issuers in Mainland China. The ‘exceptional’ Peter Yuen heads up the firm’s litigation and regulatory offering and is noted for his ability to provide ‘an honest and pragmatic piece of advice’, including to clients in conventional litigation and arbitration relating to, inter-alia, shareholders disputes and allegations alleging a breach of fiduciary duties. Joe Zhou is ‘skilled and experienced’ at handling energy and infrastructure projects and is also a key member of the Hong Kong offering that also includes antitrust expert Michael Han.

Combining its well-established Chinese heritage with a strong international sensibility, JunHe‘s Hong Kong offering is ‘seamlessly able to integrate legal expertise with strategic business advice’ for Mainland clients requiring cross-border services across a range of transactional and litigation work. Corporate financing is a core strength, with the team regularly assisting Chinese companies seeking to access capital via the HKEX, both on the debt and equity front. Combining ‘high-level strategic guidance with a deep understanding of the regulatory landscape’, Ke Zhang  excels at advising both issuers and underwriters on IPOs, work which she combines with broader cross-border M&A for both private equity firms and Chinese companies. Chris Tang  is also pivotal to the office’s capital markets offering, and regularly advises issuers/underwriters in connection with standalone debt issuances and MTN bond programs. Alex Lee  also advises on DCM work as part of his overarching financing capability that also includes syndicated loans and structured finance mandates for banks and borrowers (including Chinese SOEs). On the litigation front, the ‘client-centric, effective and pragmatic’ Philip Kwok  and Alan Tsui are both highly regarded across a range of commercial litigation matters, with Kwok also noted for his regulatory enforcement/investigations capability. Lihua De combines her duties as managing partner of the Hong Kong office with a fee-earning practice that includes expertise at handling direct investment, M&A and project finance transactions.

With a strong Hong Kong offering and also benefiting from a huge array of resources on the Mainland, Zhong Lun Law Firm is ‘capable of providing a one-stop-shop for clients who require both Chinese and Hong Kong law advice’. A good deal of this work is in the private client space, where under the leadership of the ‘solutions-oriented’ Clifford Ng, the team handles a myriad succession planning, tax and trusts and estate planning matters for Hong Kong and Chinese ultra-high-net-worth clients. A particular niche for Ng is Asian private client work involving Canadian issues, either from an inbound or outbound perspective, an area that he is uniquely well-positioned to advise on due to his combined Hong Kong and Canadian legal qualifications. Noted for her ability to provide ‘thorough and creative advice’, Chloe Leung is also a key member of the private client team handling matters on her own and alongside Ng, including at the cross-over of private wealth and corporate such as the establishment of family offices. Recognised as a ‘brilliant strategist’ and a ‘first-rate litigator’, Frederick Hui handles private client disputes as well as a considerable volume of broader cross-border commercial litigation mandates, ranging from shareholder disputes through to enforcement of judgments and arbitration awards. Real estate is also an area of focus with the ‘very good and professional’ Iris Choi advising both corporate entities and high-net-worth clients across a range of property mandates, including on the sale and purchase of undeveloped sites. Alan Xu is co-managing partner of the Hong Kong office alongside Ng and Hui and is best-known for his cross-border M&A expertise – where he leverages his PRC, Hong Kong and New York law qualifications to good effect.

Since establishing Commerce & Finance Law Offices over six years ago, ‘dedicated and motivated’ Eric Chow has successfully gained market share in a highly competitive corporate finance landscape. With an ‘unwavering commitment to client service’ and leveraging its ties with its mainland China offices, it has successfully built up a balanced offering for Chinese issuers and underwriters across a wide range of debt and equity capital markets mandates. As well as Chow’s deep expertise in the field, clients also benefit from the commercial nous of the ‘approachable and responsive’ Priscilla Lee, whose work in private practice and in-house at the private equity arm of a state-owned Chinese bank ensures she is able to provide very insightful advice to clients both on capital markets work as well as M&A transactions. Brandon Chow provides ‘hands-on and solutions-oriented’ advice particularly in the context of healthcare and TMT IPO transactions, while also having M&A expertise, including in relation to public takeovers of Hong Kong-listed companies. As well as transactional work, the firm is also increasingly well-positioned to advise on any contentious matters that may arise, with Christy Leung providing ‘commercial and practical’ advice to financial services clients on contentious regulatory and commercial disputes.

Combining ‘a deep understanding of Chinese law and culture’ with a strong international outlook, Haiwen & Partners is able to provide ‘well-rounded, insightful legal guidance’ to clients from a range of industry sectors seeking to bridge the gap between China and the global marketplace. On the transactional front, the ‘thoughtful and client-friendly’ Philip Chan is particularly skilled at handling IPOs and post-IPO M&A transactions involving China (including H-shares and red chips) and overseas background issuers. For DCM matters, Lixin Huang is well-versed at advising Chinese companies on their offshore bond issuances (issued in RMB or foreign currencies). Qingjian Wang combines his duties as managing partner with a vibrant fee-earning practice that sees him providing ‘valuable insights and solutions-oriented advice’ to fund sponsors on their offshore fund formation matters, as well as on their subsequent downstream investment activity. Combining ‘exceptional legal knowledge’ with ‘strong commercial acumen and the ability to think creatively’, Edward Liu is a very popular choice for clients seeking representation across a range of commercial litigation, particularly within the shipping industry.

With a relatively compact offering in Hong Kong (which recently officially merged, thereby allowing it to independently provide legal services in Hong Kong) and also able to leverage its strong Mainland credentials, Han Kun Law Offices is particularly skilled at handling corporate finance work for Chinese-based companies seeking to access liquidity via the HKEX. This work covers both the debt and equity capital markets, with many of the team members combining strong local sensibilities with an international outlook developed at many high-profile UK and US-headquartered global law firms. Tao Li exemplifies this approach – being triple qualified as she is in Hong Kong, the PRC and New York – and is particularly skilled at advising Chinese issuers and banks (as sponsor/underwriter) on Hong Kong IPOs. UK and Hong Kong-qualified Ethle Tang is also very skilled at handling Hong Kong IPOs and also regularly represents several Chinese companies and funds in their strategic investments in Hong Kong-listed companies. Although the firm is predominantly focused on transactional work, Adrian Yip bolsters its litigation prowess, skilfully managing client representation in shareholder disputes and internal investigations.

Jingtian & Gongcheng holds a strong reputation in the capital markets sector, with Elaine Lo leading the firm’s offering. Its capital markets offering was further bolstered by the arrivals of Vivian Yiu and Huang Ke from Morrison & Foerster in September 2024. Nicholas Chan is often engaged in finance transactions and IPOs and Jason Du is skilled in both investment-grade and high-yield debt offerings, while M&A specialist Stephen Luo and Stella Yeung are key names to note in the corporate department. On the contentious side, the practice is well-regarded for its capabilities in international arbitration. Chi Ho Kwan is vastly experienced in shareholder and contractual disputes, while Lee Kar Yee Clare is versed in contentious commercial matters.

Since it opened its Hong office in 2016, Tian Yuan Law Firm has consistently performed very well in relation to IPOs on the HKEX and has gained a reputation for providing ‘pertinent and practical solutions’ which combine international standards with local know-how to Chinese issuers from a range of industry sectors. New York and Hong Kong-qualified managing partner Nan Li has been pivotal to the firm’s success in the area and has been particularly successful in advising Chinese clients in the healthcare and TMT sectors list on the HKEX. The office has also started to pick up more DCM work, with Yilei Zheng well-versed in advising issuers and underwriters/sponsors on US dollar bond offerings and overseas renminbi bonds.