On October 13, Lexis Nexis released the 2023 “Elite Under 40" list for the Chinese mainland. Zhong Lun lawyers Xinfan Chen, Raphael Liu, Jie Ma and Yuanyuan Zhu were honored on the list.

Xinfan Chen

Partner of Hangzhou Office

Xinfan Chen focuses on whole-process legal services and dispute resolution in real estate, engineering and project development, PPP and other fields. He has worked with many central and state-owned enterprises as well as large private companies in construction and real estate. Based on in-depth research into relevant industries, Mr. Chen published a book titled “The Supreme People’s Court’s Judicial Interpretation of Construction Contracts (II): Practice and Case Analysis". He also co-authored several other books on legal practice, including “Complete Law Book on China’s Construction and Engineering Contracts: Terminology Explanation and Practice Guide", “Guidelines on Deciding Construction General Contracting Disputes " and “Guidelines on Deciding Disputes Arising out of Construction Survey & Design Contracts ". Mr. Chen serves as Deputy Director of the Construction Engineering Committee of Hangzhou Lawyers Association, construction project dispute review expert of China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission and arbitrator with arbitration commissions in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Nanjing and other locations.

Raphael Liu

Partner of Shanghai Office

Raphael Liu focuses on private equity and investment funds, cross-border investment and mergers and acquisitions as well as overseas capital markets. Empowered by in-depth knowledge of the legal systems of both China and the United States, excellent interpersonal skills, extensive practical experience and keen market insight, he is able to capture the core business needs of clients and assist them in designing practical transaction structures and concluding transactions despite the complex and volatile business and regulatory environment. Raphael has long served many well-known domestic and foreign funds and unicorn companies, with emphasis on Internet telecommunications and technology, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence, e-commerce retailing and new consumption, and he excels at handling cross-border projects featuring complex and innovative transaction structures.

Jie Ma

Partner of Chengdu Office

Mainly engaged in resolution of major difficult civil and commercial disputes, Jie Ma has represented nearly 100 enterprises and individuals in hundreds of mandates, most of which are high-profile cases heard by high courts or arbitration institutions, covering key fields such as financial products and trusts, construction projects and labor disputes. Mr. Ma has also provided legal services to large state-owned enterprises, industry leading enterprises and their subsidiaries, including Sichuan Development Group, Sichuan Financial Holding Group and New Hope Group. He has served as, among others, deputy director of the Civil and Commercial Professional Committee of Sichuan Lawyers Association.

Yuanyuan Zhu

Non-equity Partner of Beijing Office

Yuanyuan Zhu’s main practice areas include securities compliance, securities litigation, corporate litigation and other capital market dispute resolution matters, and she has represented a number of listed companies, large state-owned enterprises, securities companies, fund companies, etc. in compliance, litigation and arbitration cases, many of which have made into “Top Ten influential Litigation in China" and “Top Ten Commercial Cases in National Courts of the Year". She has won many authoritative awards from Benchmark Litigation, China Business Law Journal and other industry watchers. Committed to theoretical research on cutting-edge issues in the field of securities law and company law, Ms. Zhu has taken part in the compilation of a number of securities law books and published many professional articles, tackled key topics of the Securities Association and actively participated in the seminars and training organized by the China Securities Law Research Society and the Stock Exchange , in a bid to promote a dynamic exchange of expertise and mutual enrichment between practice and academia.Aiming to select young talents under 40 in the Chinese Mainland who have outstanding potential and are committed to leading the development of the legal industry, LexisNexis “Elite Under 40" Mainland China Ranking  has comprehensively evaluated the candidates’ achievements, development potential and contributions to the industry. It rewards the honorees for their remarkable achievements in the legal markets and recognizes their growth prospects.