Quinn Emanuel in China: Ten Years of Transformation

In a podcast recorded before a live audience in Shanghai, John is joined by Xiao Liu, Chair of China Practice and Chief Representative of Quinn Emanuel’s Beijing office; Yixuan Zhu, partner in Quinn Emanuel’s Beijing office; and Dr. Haiyan Tang, Chief Representative and Managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel’s Shanghai office. They discuss the firm’s first decade in mainland China, how its original business plan was overtaken by changes in Western investment, and how the practice evolved into representing Chinese companies in high-stakes disputes around the world.

Quinn Emanuel first established an office in Hong Kong in 2013. The firm added an office in Shanghai a year later. At that time, the firm expected that it would be representing Western companies, private equity firms, and venture capital investors with respect to the regulatory and enforcement issues they faced in China. But as Western investment receded and Western venture funds separated from their China operations, the firm’s China practice evolved into representing Chinese companies expanding abroad, including both private businesses and state-owned enterprises, in litigation, arbitration, regulatory investigations, and other cross-border conflicts around the world.

Chinese companies have become more sophisticated about foreign judicial systems, the role of outside counsel, and the need to engage rather than ignore litigation abroad. Effective representation requires explaining unfamiliar common-law concepts in Mandarin, understanding the business reasons behind client instructions, and navigating cultural and communication differences. The firm’s China team recruits Chinese-speaking lawyers (mostly Chinese nationals) who are familiar with Western legal systems.

The firm collaborates with local Chinese law firms rather than competing with them. That collaboration works in both directions: Chinese firms may represent international Quinn Emanuel clients in domestic litigation in China while Quinn Emanuel assists Chinese firms whose clients face disputes outside of China.