Huamao & Guigu Law Firm

Hua Mao & Gui Gu Law Firm,established in 1994, is one of the first law firms approved by the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China.It is also one of the first “Excellent Law Firms” that has been nominatedby the Ministry of Justice.The law firm has also made its presence in the rankings of internationalrating agencies such as The Legal 500 and Chambers for severalconsecutive years.

Firm Details

Based in mainland China, Hua Mao & Gui Gu is facing the world and featuring commercial arbitration and litigation. With its headquarter located in Beijing, Hua Mao & Gui Gu has developed three branches located respectivelyin Shanghai, Taiyuan and Handan.The law firm unswervingly focuses on the interests of customers, achieves internal resources sharing, builds a world famous brand of international commercial arbitration and litigation, and helps with improving the general global business environment.Giving the credit to its perseverance in providing incisive and preeminent legal services, the firm has won a well-deserved reputation of high quality and efficiency, and has won, for consecutive years, the honors of National Excellent Law Firm, National Top 100 Law Firm, Beijing Excellent Law Firm, Beijing Advanced Party Organization of the Lawyer Industry, and its presence in the rankings of The Legal 500 and Chambers.

Ms. Lixia ZHANG, the Director and Founding Partner of Hua Mao & Gui Gu, has gained national recognition in her practice, winning honors such as National Excellent Attorney, Chambers and Partners Greater China Region Dispute Resolution: Arbitration-Eminent Practitioner, The Legal 500 Dispute Resolution: Arbitration-Recommended Lawyer and China Business Law Journal A-List Elite Lawyer.

Main Areas of Practice

• Arbitration and ADR

Since its inception, Hua Mao & Gui Gu has been featuring both domestic and international commercial arbitration and alternative dispute resolution as its main field of practice. It has made outstanding achievements in a bunch of aspects of its business, and is currently in the leading position among the law firms that provide legal services in domestic and international commercial arbitration. Specifically, Hua Mao & Gui Gu has represented thousands of domestic and international arbitration disputes in general both in Mainland China and other overseas jurisdictions, providing comprehensive legal services that concern foreign investment, finance and trust, insurance, bankloans and guarantees, international trades, constructions, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, real estate, etc., which made it experienced in coping with commercial arbitration with amount in disputes over tens of billions CNY.

Besides, a dozen of attorneys in Hua Mao & Gui Gu have also served as arbitrators, counsels or expert witnesses respectively in London International Commercial Court of Arbitration (LCIA), the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCC), the American Arbitration Association (AAA), International Chamber of Commerce International Court of Arbitration (ICC), ICC Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), The Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA), the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA), Korean Commercial and Arbitration Board (KCAB), China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), Beijing Arbitration Commission (BAC) and other international commercial arbitration institutions.

• Litigation

Hua Mao & Gui Gu has extensive experience in civil litigating before the Supreme People's Court, Higher People's Courts and other courts at all levels.Certain representative cases were published in the Gazette of the Supreme People’s Court of PRCand bulletins that serve as judicial guidance and references. Except for domestic litigation, Hua Mao & Gui Gu also specializes in handling international litigation cases either on itself or jointly with foreign law firms. It has represented clients in proceedings in the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and other countries and regions.

• Corporations

Hua Mao & Gui Gu provides legal services in foreign investment projects planning consultation, negotiation, contract drafting and enterprise establishing as well as in the fields of tax, labor and human resources, intellectual property, restructuring and liquidation. The firm also advises Chinese companies to set up branches, wholly-owned enterprises or joint ventures abroad and to conduct economic cooperation.

• Finance and Trust

Hua Mao & Gui Gu has substantial experience in trust project. The firm serves as long-term legal advisor for large investment trust companies. The firm has involved in the operations of large-scale trust projects, including investment project of legal persons shares in listed companies, financing lease of construction equipment, as well as large real estate property and monetary trust projects. Hua Mao & Gui Gu's practice includes preparation and review of financing documents in project finance, loan contracts and other relevant consultations. The law firm also provides strategy consultation for trust financing, structure design,draft and review of legal documents for trust projects.

• Real Estate and Construction

Hua Mao & Gui Gu has participated in major real estate projects in China in the phases of development, conveyance, lease and project financing. The law firm is one of the first law firms in Mainland China that involved in trust financing for real estate companies. The law firm is extensively experienced in assisting real estate companies to structure a trust project for financing and represents real estate companies in dispute resolution. The law firm serves as long-term legal adviser for famous real estate corporations like China Resource Land, Huayuan and Oceanwide.

• International Trade and Competition

Attorneys in Hua Mao & Gui Gu have successfully represented a bunch of well-known foreign companies in response to anti-dumping investigations initiated by Chinese government. Moreover, the law firm has represented or co-represented various Chinese companies in anti-dumping, countervailing duties and safeguard measure proceedings in foreign countries. The firm provides expert witness service in relation to investigation and litigation internationally as well. One of the funding partners, Prof. Shen Sibao has participated in the first anti-monopoly case against Chinese enterprises in the U.S..

• Intellectual Properties

The law firm has abundant experience in high-technology projects as the legal advisor for many well-known high-technology companies. It also pioneered in providing legal services in formulating AVS project and introduction of the international practice of patent pool into China. Hua Mao & Gui Gu provides not only a full range of legal services in relation to patent, trademark,copyright and other intellectual property affairs, such as international technology transfer and licensing, but also legal services for handling intellectual property disputes and global litigation in coordination with overseas law firms. It also provides services concerning technology and intellectual property trade barriers in international trade.