ABOUT ZHIHENG

Zhiheng is among the earliest approved law firms in China that provide wide-ranging services. It was founded in 1995 in Shenzhen, a city that took the lead to build a market economy when the country started its reform and opening-up. After the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China made Shenzhen the Pilot Demonstration Zone for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, the Law Firm launched its strategic transformation at the end of 2021. Run by professional managers, it has been upgraded in an all-round way. Over the past year or so, by bringing in a large number of excellent lawyers and law firms across China, Zhiheng has enjoyed rapid expansion and thus built a stronger and more diversified network of multi-disciplinary professionals. So far, Zhiheng has established itself as an international law firm. Once a traditional boutique law firm, it has successfully transformed into one of the few multi-business law firms providing one-stop legal services in China.

Zhiheng offices. Headquartered on the 22nd floor of the Radio and Television Financial Center of the CBD of Shenzhen, the Law Firm focuses in the Bay Area while seeking a global presence beyond China. Offices that have been or are being registered can be found in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Qianhai Shenzhen, Longgang Shenzhen, Ji’nan, Dongguan, Foshan, Haikou, Kunming, Xi'an, Wuhan, Shanghai, Changsha, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xiamen and Urumqi. 

Awards and honors. Zhiheng has won 7 national and 36 provincial, municipal and district-level awards, including National Excellent Lawyer, National Outstanding Lawyer Party Member, and “Outstanding Contribution Award” of the Information Network and High-tech Law Committee of the National Lawyers Association.

Legislative efforts. During the tenure as the head of the Administrative Law Professional Committee of All China Lawyers Association, a member from Zhiheng organized lawyers from all over the country to exchange legislative experience to improve legislation quality at the local level. Together with NPC deputies and Xinhua News Agency journalists, it took Zhiheng lawyers three years to abolish the State Council's Regulation on Speculation and Profiteering, which contradicts a higher-level law.

Zhiheng books. Zhiheng lawyers have published 19 books: Lawyers and Legislation, Common Sense Tricks You, Decoding Shareholders' War, Interpretation of Judges' Views on Corporate Disputes and Offense and Defense, Winning Words from Lawyers-Practical Strategies of Enterprise Intellectual Property Rights, Frontier Information Network and High-tech Law, Volume VI, Law Encyclopedia for Chinese Citizens, In the Name of the Yellow Emperor-Chinese Lawyers’ Resolve, A Record of Excellent Chinese Defending Lawyers, Marching toward Fairness, Chinese Lawyers’ Yearbook, Contemporary Excellent Lawyers in China, Position and Thinking, and 88 Lectures on Solving Marital and Family Legal Problems.

Documentary and professional microfilm. “Chinese Lawyers” is an 18-episode documentary about typical cases co-produced by the Ministry of Justice and Hubei Economic TV Station, one of which is about a real case starring Zhiheng lawyers. The microfilm “On Company Law” was scripted by and starring Zhiheng lawyers.

Zhiheng’s typical cases. As one of the top 10 cases in China in the 20th century, the Shenzhen Xiancheng Building case is a high-profile cross-disciplinary case involving criminal, administrative and civil affairs. During the second instance of the administrative part, a collegiate bench was formed consisting of seven judges from the Supreme Court. China Law Review commented that the case featured six superlatives: the most prestigious judges, the highest amount of the underlying asset, the largest number of parties and agents, the longest trial time, the longest court sessions and the greatest impact. The case was also selected as one of the “Top 10 Administrative Litigation Cases for Promoting the Rule of Law in China”, which is of pioneering significance for establishing the due process of administrative behaviors. The trademark infringement case of “If You Are the One” was selected as a typical intellectual property case in China by the Supreme Court, and was listed as the number one case of the “Top 10 Most Research-worthy Intellectual Property Cases in China in 2015”. As the first case in the fast fashion industry that made national headlines, the “KM” trademark infringement case is also worth mentioning. It involved nearly 100 administrative investigation cases, 1 criminal case, 1 trademark invalidation case and nearly 30 civil cases. It was selected as a typical case of intellectual property protection in 2019 by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the number one intellectual property protection case in 2019 by Guangdong Provincial People's Procuratorate, and was among the 26th list of guiding cases by the Supreme People's Procuratorate in 2020. In addition, Zhiheng has successfully represented the state-owned enterprise restructuring project and a series of state-owned assets restructuring cases in Nanshan District of Shenzhen involving billions of Chinese yuan. It also successfully represented the “unfinished" Software Park Building case over restructuring of debt and creditor's rights and changing of developers, involving hundreds of millions of yuan. The Law Firm represented the first case related to Guinness World Records between Okamoto Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Daming United Rubber Products Co., Ltd. and Guinness World Records Co., Ltd. It involved a series of disputes over unfair competition and product quality regarding several Guinness World Records. This series of cases lasted for 9 years, which witnessed difficulty solving on applicable laws and infringement criteria, and later served as a reference case for similar trials. A hugely successful contract dispute case of a technology company v. an international group and a Hong Kong technology (Shenzhen) company won Zhiheng an Excellence Award in the selection of outstanding cases of legal services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area 2019-2022. The theft case by a minor surnamed Bai, represented by Zhiheng, was selected as a typical case by Guangdong Lawyers Association in 2019. A shareholder dispute over 10 million yuan contribution of an optoelectronic company, represented by the Law Firm, was selected as one of the top 10 typical company law cases in Guangdong Province in 2017. A capital increase case of a client surnamed Liu v. an equipment company in Shenzhen was selected as one of the top 10 typical company law cases in Guangdong Province in 2018. The list goes on.

Zhiheng College is setting up an expert advisory board to provide accurate and strong support for building the Law Firm's reserve knowledge and application ability, and to offer each case high-quality services with diversified thinking and profound professional knowledge.

Unity of knowledge and action allows us to go far!