The Legal 500 China Awards was held on December 11, 2025 and saw Zhong Lun win five awards.

Corporate M&A: PRC Firms Law Firm of the Year

Intellectual Property: PRC Firms Law Firm of the Year

Arbitration: PRC Firms Lawyer of the Year – Lijun Cao

Lijun Cao is licensed to practice law in China and the New York State, US. Tapping extensive experience in international arbitration and commercial litigation, he has, over the course of his longstanding career, represented domestic and foreign clients in commercial arbitration cases in jurisdictions including China’s mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, and so on, as well as lawsuits before various people’s courts in the Chinese mainland. His practice experience in investment arbitration is also profound. Mr. Cao concurrently serves as listed arbitrator at many internationally renowned arbitration institutions, including the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC), the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB), and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre. Further, Mr. Cao plays an active role in global arbitral governance and development of rules. He currently serves as a Member of the Expert Committee on Foreign-related Arbitration under the Ministry of Justice, a Director of the SIAC Board, a Member of the Advisory Committee of the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (CRCICA), a Member of the KCAB International Arbitration Court, and also holds the positions of Vice Chair of the Arbitration and Lawyer Mediation Professional Committee of the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA) and Vice Chair of the Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Committee of the ICC (The International Chamber of Commerce) China.

Investment Funds: PRC Firms Lawyer of the Year – Catherine Chen

Catherine Chen has decades of in-depth experience in private fund establishment, private equity investment and financing, and domestic and overseas capital markets, boasting extensive practice expertise, which is further bolstered by her qualification as a Chinese Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She has successfully assisted clients in setting up thousands of private equity funds and provided comprehensive legal services throughout entire fund lifecycle, covering fundraising, investment, management, and exit. Her expertise extends to the establishment and registration of fund management companies, team equity incentives and co-investment, performance incentive scheme design, drafting of internal governance regulations, fund structure and program design, drafting and negotiation of fund limited partnership agreements (LPAs) and other legal documents, as well as fund closing and filing. Additionally, Ms. Chen provides ongoing legal support during the fund’s term, encompassing operational compliance, secondary share transfers, investment project management, exit, and fund liquidation. Her clients span industries such as life sciences and healthcare, artificial intelligence and semiconductors, real estate and infrastructure, clean energy, and new consumption. Leveraging her profound understanding of industry dynamics and business principles, she crafts legally airtight, commercially viable comprehensive solutions for clients.

Restructuring and Insolvency: PRC Firms Lawyer of the Year – Shengfeng Xu

Dr. Shengfeng Xu holds a Doctor of Laws degree from Jilin University and has over two decades of in-depth experience in corporate bankruptcy and restructuring, with practice covering enterprise bankruptcy liquidation, reorganization, debt restructuring, and other related areas. He has led and handled numerous landmark cases of national significance, including major bankruptcy liquidation projects such as Hantang Securities, Minfa Securities, and Dalian STX Shipbuilding affiliated enterprises, as well as complex reorganization cases involving Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group, Youfu Co., Ltd., Langqi Co., Ltd., enterprises affiliated with Huishan Dairy, CNNC Titanium Dioxide Co., Ltd., China Bicycle Co., Ltd., and Fujian Anxi Tieguanyin Group together with Anxi Tea Factory. Many of these cases have been selected as the "Top 10 Guiding Bankruptcy Cases" by the Supreme People's Court and local people's courts. Dr. Xu currently serves as a member of the Insolvency Law Group of the CCPIT-UNCITRAL Expert Panel, Vice President of the Beijing Bankruptcy Law Society, Vice President of the Insolvency Law Research Institute of the Guangdong Law Society, and Research Fellow at the Bankruptcy Law Research Center of Renmin University of China. In addition, he is the chief editor of several professional works, including Annotated Book on the Enterprise Bankruptcy Law, Analysis of Judicial Rules for People's Courts in Hearing Enterprise Bankruptcy Cases, and The Exit and Regeneration of Distressed Enterprises — A Practical Study on Bankruptcy Liquidation and Reorganization. He has also published numerous academic papers in core journals such as China Trial, Judicial Application of Law, and China Lawyer.

*(in alphabetical order)

The Legal 500 China Awards results are based on independent research and multi-dimensional evaluations. They aim to recognize leading law firms and outstanding individual lawyers who have made significant contributions to the Chinese legal market in the past year.