In-house Counsel Awards 2026

Following months of market research, we have selected these outstanding in-house counsel and their teams. Jeffrey Huang reports

IN THE PAST YEAR, geopolitical tensions have continued to roil the global landscape while an uneven economic recovery has driven profound transformation across the commercial map.

In tandem, the relentless wave of technological innovation spearheaded by AI continues to inject new possibilities into every industry.

China’s legal framework has grown increasingly refined, marked by official implementation of the Regulations on Cyber Data Security Management and the Private Economy Promotion Law, along with comprehensive enforcement of the newly revised Anti-Unfair Competition Law and Company Law.

Amid the volatility, businesses are exploring new paths forward, and many foreign enterprises are strengthening collaboration with their Chinese mainland counterparts to co-develop competitive new products, while Chinese firms are accelerating outbound expansion to move into fresh markets overseas.

In the face of these shifting dynamics, the mission of in-house counsel transcends mere risk control. They also bridge the gaps between commercial objectives and regulatory rules, blaze trails across the frontiers of law and technology, and deploy the vision to transform compliance from a cost centre into a sustainable competitive edge.

These professionals who safeguard commercial value and carve out new horizons with their expertise provide enterprises with the resilience to progress steadily amid uncertainty.

To honour their achievements in the past year, recognise outstanding contributions to businesses and industries, and highlight those widely acknowledged by the market, China Business Law Journal announces its annual In-house Counsel Awards.

The final winners are determined through a combination of market nominations, submissions from nominees and independent research by the editorial team, aiming to faithfully reflect industry consensus.

This year’s unprecedented number of nominations highlights the growing dynamism at the intersection of law and business. CBLJ maintains its commitment to multi-source verification to ensure complete impartiality; all winners derive from external nominations, candidates cannot self-nominate or nominate their own teams, and all entries undergo rigorous editorial review.

As with all our awards, the entire process – from nominations to the final announcement – is completely free of any fees. The awards include the In-house Team of the Year and General Counsel of the Year, the highest accolades for the team and individual divisions, respectively, as well as finer categories covering a myriad of practice areas and industry sectors.

For teams:

For individuals:

We believe that the legal market’s vitality derives from the synergy of professionalism and commercial insight. We extend our gratitude to all survey participants, and congratulate the winners on securing market recognition through their solid achievements.

Highest honour

Xie Chenyang, vice president and chief legal officer at Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII), is honoured with the General Counsel of the Year award. Leading a legal team of nearly 100 professionals, Xie supports FII’s global footprint.

His major project achievements in 2025 included: spearheading the compliance framework for a RMB2 billion (USD294.8 million) employee stock ownership plan; managing factory construction compliance in Vietnam, the US and Mexico; and orchestrating the acquisitions of Digiwin Software and Hengdrive.

Xie also spearheaded the development of a global sanctions and blacklist screening platform in the past year.

By translating dozens of global sanctions regimes – including the US Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List, and the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) Entity List and Unverified List – into system parameters, he achieved a qualitative shift in compliance from reactive remediation to proactive prevention. This included successful removal of two subsidiaries from the BIS Unverified List.

The platform automatically scans high-risk entities during the contract drafting stage, accelerating risk resolution efficiency by 90% and reducing manual screening hours by 85%. Furthermore, a compliance dashboard monitoring all business lines in real time is implemented, successfully turning compliance from a cost centre into a value engine.

Cong Qunji, a Beijing-based partner at King & Wood who previously assisted FII with its A-share IPO, praises Xie: “He possesses rich theoretical knowledge and practical experience… His contributions to intellectual property protection, dispute resolution, compliance and risk management have been instrumental in driving these initiatives forward.”

Xie is also a “winner” in the categories of Intellectual property (Patent), and Technology & telecoms, as well as “highly commended” in the categories of Environment, social and governance (ESG), Compliance (cross-border), Data and cloud services, and Manufacturing.

This year’s other top accolade, the In-house Team of the Year award, goes to the legal and compliance department of China International Capital Corporation (CICC).

Under the leadership of Joe Zhou, CICC’s chief compliance officer and head of legal and compliance department, the winning team delivers comprehensive legal support and strict compliance oversight across all business operations, development and innovations.

In the past year, CICC participated in numerous high-profile capital markets projects, including: the HKD4.15 billion (USD530 million) Hong Kong IPO of AUX Electric; the HKD18.36 billion privatisation of ENN Energy; the RMB15.8 billion Shanghai IPO of Huadian New Energy; and the Sunshine Lake Pharma listing by introduction.

Wang Jin, general counsel and general supervisor of legal and compliance at Beijing Electronics Holding, notes that CICC’s legal and compliance department gathers top-tier talent from elite international investment banks and leading domestic and overseas law firms. She commends the team for possessing both broad global perspective and exceptional professional capabilities, which have earned them an outstanding reputation within the industry.

This year, CICC’s legal and compliance department is also named a winner in the categories of Investment banking, and Restructuring, as well as highly commended in Capital markets (domestic), Mergers & acquisitions (domestic), and Securitisation.

Guardians of corporate growth

Legal teams led by seasoned professionals seamlessly integrate profound legal expertise with a deep understanding of business operations, safeguarding their companies’ production and business activities across specialised fields such as dispute resolution, compliance, intellectual property and capital markets.

In the past year, Tian Xingchuan, general counsel of Harbin Electric International, led his department to continuously refine the full-lifecycle management system for cross-border dispute resolution.

While pushing forward claims for a project in Mexico, he and his team integrated localised legal resources, organised evidence chains, drafted claim letters, and participated in contract modifications and commercial negotiations throughout the process. Their efforts secured a nine-month project extension and recovered nearly USD30 million in direct cost losses.

Zhu Yuanyuan, a Beijing-based partner at King & Wood, highly commends Tian: “He possesses a penetrating understanding of the group’s domestic and overseas business footprint, commercial logic and industry trends. His outstanding cross-departmental synergy and artful communication, both internally and externally, have forged a forward-looking risk assessment system that efficiently integrates legal, financial, operational and risk-control resources.”

“He has consistently provided precise legal advice at critical decision-making junctures, earning deep trust from the board and management.”

As the pace of global expansion accelerates, legal departments must protect company interests on a global scale. As general counsel of lidar manufacturer Hesai Technology, Emily Wu led her team through a series of major transactions and cases, including driving the company’s dual primary listing in Hong Kong and managing its inclusion on the US Department of Defence’s 1260H CMC List of Chinese military companies operating in the US.

Brian Liu, a Shanghai-based partner at Fangda Partners, applauds Wu for her high professional acumen and ability to assess regulatory trends, transforming geopolitical risks into a manageable compliance path that played an irreplaceable role as a cornerstone for the company’s credibility in international capital markets. “With her exceptional performance amid complex regulatory storms, Emily Wu has redefined the dual role of a legal chief as both a business partner and corporate guardian,” says Liu.

In 2025, the Hong Kong IPO market saw a strong recovery, with CITIC Securities International achieving an impressive second-place ranking in Hong Kong IPO underwriting market share. Beryl Sit, head of legal and global investment banking managing director, played a pivotal role in achieving this result, participating in blockbuster projects including Zijin Gold International’s USD3.7 billion Hong Kong IPO.

The legal department supported completion of more than 500 cross-border capital markets transactions including executing USD500 million convertible bond transactions for both ZTE and MMG, and assisting Tencent and Baidu with multiple tranches of bond issuances.

Xiang Tianning, a partner at Clifford Chance’s Beijing office, commends the department as “highly professional, providing feedback on advice given by external counsel that is both clear and reasonable”.

Leaders of the industry

Outstanding in-house counsel not only resolve difficulties for enterprises in a complex and volatile commercial environment; they also set a leading example in their respective industries with solid legal foundations and outstanding professional capabilities. They consistently translate complex legal issues and internal industry operations into practical commercial solutions, inspiring external counsel and other legal peers.

Shawn Cao, a Shanghai-based partner at JunHe, praises Liang: “He is deeply rooted in M&A legal practice within the energy sector, possessing solid and profound professional knowledge and industry experience.”

Bai Lin, the Beijing-based founder, director and managing partner of RongYing Law Firm, admires the professional foundation and practical experience of Chen Xu, general counsel of Primavera Capital, in the field of private equity investment.

“Chen Xu’s work style is extremely steady, with outstanding stress resistance and exceptional practical wisdom in problem solving,” says Bai. “In complex situations, she can always find the best balance and protect the maximum interests of the enterprise in the most appropriate manner.”

Trademark protection has always been one of the top priorities of intellectual protection. During a critical moment in 2025, when a core brand of NVC Lighting China faced large-scale infringement, Zhai Jing, General Manager of Legal & Compliance, led her team to prepare and organise a systematic rights protection campaign.

This included administrative investigations covering more than 20 provinces nationwide, civil infringement lawsuits in more than 10 provinces, and several criminal reports.

The Supreme People’s Court subsequently ruled that trademark rights of the “NVC” series belong to the company, requiring infringing parties to standardise their use of corporate trade names and prohibiting standalone or prominent use of “NVC” characters.

The State Administration for Market Regulation also officially issued a letter requiring market regulation departments in multiple regions across the country to conduct comprehensive investigations into the “NVC” trademark infringement cases.

Chen Jing, a Beijing-based partner at Commerce & Finance Law Offices, says rights protection by Zhai and her team was effective and precise, reflecting her “truly exceptional leadership and strong organisational and coordination capabilities” to prompt the crackdown on infringement.

Pillars of legal teams

Beyond responsibility to resolve corporate challenges and the profound expertise required to navigate their industries with ease, outstanding general counsel should possess exceptional co-ordination skills.

They not only build a professional internal legal team in their daily management, but also actively break down communication barriers, balance the needs of other departments, and efficiently leverage external counsel, assembling a powerful synergy to achieve the company’s core commercial objectives.

In an M&A transaction in early 2025 for Autoliv China, the world’s leading automotive passive safety supplier, the company’s legal department, led by Huang Yiyun, vice president of legal affairs, steered the entire process of legal work including due diligence, negotiations with counterparties, communication with national regulatory authorities, and the establishment of new entities.

Ye Han, a Beijing-based partner at Merits & Tree Law Offices, lauds Huang’s achievements, noting that she has been deeply rooted in the corporate legal field for many years. With a solid professional foundation and rigorous risk-control thinking, he says she successfully integrates commercial demands with legal needs.

“In terms of internal management, Huang provides multi-dimensional training and guidance to young lawyers in the legal team regarding legal practice, working methods and communication styles,” says Ye. “In terms of external communication, she can co-ordinate external law firms, reasonably allocate external resources, and accurately control and manage the progress and direction of the law firm work. She is truly a model of excellent corporate counsel.”

During communications and project collaborations with Rene Yuan, vice president of CMC Inc, Guangzhou-based partner at King & Wood, Bob Mo, says he appreciates the leadership and sense of responsibility she has demonstrated as head of a major corporate legal department during complex projects and key matters. He admires her solid and comprehensive professional legal acumen.

Mo notes that Yuan possesses a deep understanding of core legal fields such as M&A, corporate governance, intellectual property and compliance risk control, and is “capable of making precise judgements under complex commercial conditions, and providing practical legal solutions for the company’s decision-making level”.

Michael Zhang, a Shanghai-based managing partner of Sheppard Mullin, recommends Iris Yuan, head of legal and compliance and company secretary at clinical-stage biotech company DualityBio. Zhang says Yuan brings specialised legal experience in the pharmaceutical sector and is deeply familiar with areas including pharmaceutical intellectual property licensing, corporate financing and cross-border compliance.

Zhang notes that she precisely grasps key points in daily legal operations, efficiently manages complex compliance matters, and co-ordinates multi-party resources, successfully helping the company to list in Hong Kong.

“As external counsel, collaborating with Iris Yuan has always been exceptionally smooth, and I am constantly learning new knowledge and gaining interpersonal experience from her,” he says.

While providing ongoing legal services to Tapestry Greater China, William Yang, a senior partner at AllBright Law Offices’ Shanghai office, is impressed by the legal department led by Lillian Lu, Tapestry’s vice president and associate general counsel.

“They not only approach matters from a professional legal perspective, but are also capable of thinking deeply through a commercial lens; they maintain a pragmatic style and possess a strong business-oriented mindset,” says Yang.

Having collaborated with the Tapestry legal team in multiple leasing disputes, he says the legal department consistently finds the best solutions for the company through close collaboration with operational teams, and never compromises when issues of compliance or integrity are at stake.

“They show great respect for external counsel and utilise external resources wisely and efficiently,” he adds.

Supernova in the area

In the legal profession, the weight of seniority is self-evident, but time is never the sole measure of value. Although the winners of the Emerging Achievers award have yet to amass decades of legal experience, they have already made remarkable leaps driven by mature professional capabilities and resounding achievements.

In the past year, Liao Wenying, legal head of AgiBot Innovation, one of the world’s leading companies in embodied AI and humanoid robotics, demonstrated her prowess in a series of major capital markets projects.

She assisted the company in completing the acquisition of an A-share listed company, spearheaded its joint-stock reform to ensure the clarity and compliance of its corporate governance structure, and participated in a series of investment and financing projects for AgiBot and its subsidiaries.

Lawrence Ho, a partner at JunHe based in Shanghai, Chongqing and Hong Kong, has collaborated extensively with Liao and her team across multiple business lines, and says her professional proficiency and co-ordination skills have left a profound impression. “[Liao] has delivered solid and fruitful work, highlighting her professional value,” he says. “She is an outstanding practitioner in the field of modern corporate in-house counsel.”

To navigate rapidly evolving legal rules in the field of embodied AI and avert potential risks in operational compliance and capital markets, Liu Wen, general counsel of robotics manufacturer Linkerbot Beijing Technology, led her team to construct a proactive compliance management system and comprehensively upgrade data and algorithm governance.

At a critical stage, when the company’s business was growing rapidly and urgently required capital, Liu, building on a comprehensive grasp of the company’s legal needs, spearheaded the design of an equity structure and transaction documents that balanced financing efficiency, shareholder structure optimisation and future planning.

This ensured the transaction was legally compliant and risks were controllable amid rapid advancement, winning the respect and trust of investors.

Zhang Meng, a Beijing-based partner at Commerce & Finance Law Offices, praises Liu not only for her legal expertise, but also for her flexible commercial thinking in specific tasks.

“Liu actively builds highly efficient and sound legal operating mechanisms for the company she serves, achieving a year with zero litigation and assisting the company in compliant listing, highly demonstrating her potential as an in-house counsel,” he says.

One of the world’s top drone manufacturers, JOUAV Automation, faces high compliance requirements due to the nature of the industry and its dual-use products. Under the leadership of Yue Yuan, head of legal and intellectual property, the team continually internalises laws, regulations and corresponding standards into actionable compliance requirements for the enterprise, while strengthening personnel training and assessment.

The department is also deeply involved in bidding processes, using legal means to safeguard the company’s interests and secure bidding performance.

The department also effectively cracks down on actions that disparage the company’s commercial reputation, obtaining favourable court judgments that compel involved enterprises to issue public statements that eliminate adverse effects on the company.

Ma Dongxiao, a Beijing-based equity partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm, praises Yue for leading the legal and IP team to “penetrate the frontline of the business, collaborate efficiently across departments, and assist in the company’s compliance management and business development, achieving excellent results and track records in internal control, industry compliance, export control compliance, bidding compliance and safeguarding, as well as intellectual property protection”.