Press Release

On January 17, 2024, after collecting a wide range of market feedback, China Business Law Journal announced the China practice edition of The A-List 2023: Growth Drivers, which includes 160 lawyers practicing PRC law and 100 lawyers practicing in foreign law firms or overseas. Five Han Kun partners were selected for their outstanding contributions to Chinese legal practice.

Weiheng Jia

Weiheng Jia's practice areas include M&A, corporate compliance, antitrust and competition, labour, and employment. With years of legal education and practice in Japan and the US, he is one of the few lawyers in China who can truly practice law in Chinese, Japanese and English. Blessed by his unique multicultural background and strong trilingual language skills, Mr. Jia has extensive experience in representing multinational corporations from the US, UK, Japan and the EU nations, among others. Prior to Han Kun, Mr. Jia was the national leader of Deloitte Legal Greater China and the national managing partner of Qin Li Law Firm, a member of the Deloitte Legal global network. While practicing as a partner at top-tier US-based international law firm Squire Potton Boggs, he also served as the general counsel and chief compliance officer for a state-owned Chinese stock exchange-listed enterprise group, and was the China senior legal counsel and compliance officer for a top tier US corporate group. Mr. Jia is licensed to practice law in China, New York State, and before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Jia's honours and awards include the A-List of China's Elite 100 Lawyers for 2021, by China Business Law Journal, and he was on the notable practitioners list of 2021~2023 by the International Financial Law Review. He's also a member of the Competition Law Research Committee of Shanghai Lawyers Association.

Lu Ran

Lu Ran's practice areas include foreign direct investment, investment fund formation and operation, asset management and general corporate matters. She advises local and overseas clients in a variety of private equity-related transactions, including the formation, management, and operation of various types of fund entities and fund management entities. Her comprehensive legal services include the formation and operation of RMB and USD funds, QFLPs, QDIIs, QDLPs and QDIEs, and investments related to insurance funds and management team incentive plans. Ms. Ran graduated from Renmin University of China with an LL.B. degree in 2008 and an LL.M. degree in Civil and Commercial Law in 2010. In 2011, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she received another LL.M. degree with distinction. She is a member of the PRC Bar and a member of the New York State Bar. Ms. Ran's honours and awards include: Leading Lawyer in Investment Funds (Chambers Greater China Region, 2023); Women in Business Law Awards – finance rising star 2022; China Business Law Journal's Rising Stars 2022; ALB's China rising star 2021; IFLR1000 highly regarded lawyer 2021-22; Asialaw Profiles leading lawyer (notable practitioner) in investment funds 2022; Leading Individual in Investment Funds (Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2024) and the next generation partner in investment funds (The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2019-2023). She was named on the Beijing Lawyers Association's 2020 list of foreign-related legal case experts.

Denning Xu

Denning Xu's practice areas include banking and finance, insurance funds investment and insurance asset management, securitisation and structured finance, and asset management. Mr. Xu has over 20 years of practice experience focusing on financial compliance, asset management, and SOE-related services. In the insurance sector, he specializes in insurance funds investment, insurance asset management product launches and investment, and corporate compliance involving insurance companies and insurance AMCs. Mr. Xu has extensive experience in and enjoys a good reputation for handling a wide spectrum of services, such as advising insurance AMCs on their equity and debt investments, management of entrusted insurance funds, launching various asset management products, and providing compliance services to all types of insurance institutions. Mr. Xu is an incumbent member of the Professional Committee for Compliance under the Insurance Asset Management Association of China.

Gloria Xu

Gloria Xu's practice areas include private equity, M&A, capital markets and general corporate matters. Specialising in navigating complex domestic and cross-border transactions, Ms. Xu possesses extensive expertise in private equity investments and financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and IPOs. Her client portfolio spans diverse industries, including telecommunications, media, technology, healthcare, biotechnology, transportation, manufacturing, and retail. Ms. Xu has successfully represented numerous private equity funds and companies in their domestic and cross-border investments, providing strategic counsel for start-ups, fast-growing enterprises, and well-established corporations during private equity financings. She possesses substantial experience in orchestrating cross-border and domestic M&A transactions, offering guidance to a multitude of multinational and domestic firms engaged in large-scale M&A activities. Additionally, Ms. Xu has played a pivotal role in representing several PRC companies in their IPOs on prominent securities exchanges in the US and Hong Kong. Ms. Xu is a graduate of the University of International Business and Economics (LLB, 2002) and the University of Bristol (UK) (LLM degree in international commercial law, 2004). Ms. Xu's honours and rewards include: Recommended Lawyer in TMT (Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2017-2019, 2024); Recommended Lawyer in Corporate and M&A (Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2024); Recommended Lawyer in Private equity (Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2018); Client Choice: Top 15 Female Lawyers (Legalband, 2022); Asialaw Leading Lawyer (Asialaw Profiles, 2015-2016) and Shortlisted for Rising Star Lawyer of the Year (China Law and Practice, 2016). She was named by the Beijing Lawyers Association to its 2023 list of foreign-related legal case experts.

Yaxing Zhang

Yaxing Zhang specialises in dispute resolution pertaining to investment, financing and corporate disputes. Mr. Zhang has extensive practical experience in resolving disputes arising from investment and financing agreements, share transfers, convertible bonds and other transactions, as well as legal issues relating to control rights, information rights, validity of resolutions, dissolution, and directors' and officers' liability of companies and partnerships. In addition, Mr. Zhang has successfully handled numerous cases involving disputes over contract breach, share redemption and winding-up under red-chip structures, accumulating experience in connecting and co-ordinating litigation, arbitration, and the recognition and enforcement of judgment proceedings across various jurisdictions. Mr. Zhang has also handled several asset management and false statement cases, some of which have become influential benchmarks. He also has in-depth knowledge and practical experience in fund investment project exits, corporate dissolutions, liquidations and bankruptcy proceedings, having assisted numerous clients in achieving investment exits or bankruptcy protections. Mr. Zhang has been recognized as a Recommended Lawyer in Dispute resolution: Arbitration & Litigation for many consecutive years and Next Generation Partner in Dispute resolution: Litigation (2023-2024) by Legal 500 Asia Pacific; Legal500's Private Practice Powerlist Arbitration China 2023; a Litigation Star for Commercial Disputes by Benchmark Litigation China for many consecutive years, included in China Business Law Journal's 2023 Rising Stars and Thomson Reuters' Outstanding Lawyers (2022).

China Business Law Journal's The A-List 2023: Growth Drivers acknowledges the key players in law firms ‒ the stalwarts with rich practice experience and profound legal acumen. These seasoned lawyers are active at the forefront of the market, boasting outstanding reputations and robust revenue-generating capabilities. With impressive track records, they excel in business development and drive intense market competition. Battle-tested and armed with acute insights, they can swiftly comprehend and master the dynamic changes in the legal landscape. Renowned for their exceptional professional capabilities, they not only create tangible value for clients but also contribute significantly to the sustained growth of their respective law firms.

The final list is the aggregate result of market nominations, candidates' own submitted supportive information, and independent research conducted by the editorial team.