On January 13, 2025, John B. Quinn, founder of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP (Quinn Emanuel), and his delegation were invited to visit Hongqiao Zhenghan, where they held in-depth discussions on Sino-US dispute resolution legal services and law firm management. The session also welcomed dispute resolution partners from Fangda Partners, Clifford Chance, Hui Zhong Law Firm, King & Wood Mallesons, JunHe, AllBright Law Offices, and Lifeng Law Firm for exchanges and sharing. Lawyers Ni Wei, Wang Zheng, Qian Qian, and Liu Fengchang, partners of Shanghai Hongqiao Zhenghan Law Firm, attended the discussion.
John B. Quinn, Founding and Global Managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel, introduced the history and development of the firm. Since its establishment in 1986, Quinn Emanuel has grown from a small firm with only four lawyers to a renowned international firm with 1,200 lawyers across 36 offices worldwide, driven by its relentless pursuit of excellence in service and proactive market promotion. It specializes in dispute resolution, particularly in cross-border litigation, international arbitration, and government investigations. With its professional expertise and strength, especially in patent practice in Silicon Valley and financial litigation in New York and London, Quinn Emanuel has won the trust of numerous clients.
Samuel G. Williamson, Founding Partner of Quinn Emanuel’s China team, focused on the firm’s business development in China. He noted that Quinn Emanuel set up an office in Shanghai years ago, dedicated to providing Chinese enterprises with legal services in the United States. In the fields of dispute resolution and compliance services, Quinn Emanuel has successfully assisted many Chinese enterprises in addressing legal challenges in the US through its extensive experience, such as representing DJI in response to CMC sanctions and representing several Chinese banks in US litigation.
Against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s potential tough stance on Chinese enterprises in trade, intellectual property, export controls, and other areas, Samuel G. Williamson analyzed the legal risks that Chinese enterprises may face and proposed countermeasures. He emphasized that Chinese enterprises should prepare in advance and establish a sound compliance system to tackle challenges including complex production requirements, data security protection, and improved supply chain transparency. John B. Quinn added that despite the severe situation, Chinese enterprises are fully capable of reducing legal risks and safeguarding their legitimate rights and interests through sound legal strategies such as legal opinions and compliance programs.
In the interactive session, Chinese and US lawyers in attendance held heated discussions on topics including the differences between the Chinese and US legal service markets and the legal risks faced by Chinese enterprises in the US. John B. Quinn and Samuel G. Williamson shared their valuable experience and unique insights in handling cross-border legal matters, highlighting the crucial role of flexibility and innovation in legal practice. All participating lawyers expressed a positive attitude toward further strengthening cooperation and looked forward to joining hands to tackle more challenges in the future.
Shanghai Hongqiao Zhenghan Law Firm and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP have accumulated rich successful experience through long-term exchanges and cooperation. It is expected that the two sides will continue to expand areas of cooperation, provide more comprehensive and professional legal services for Chinese enterprises going global, and jointly support Chinese enterprises in forging ahead steadily on the international stage.