Jingtian & Gongcheng

Jingtian & Gongcheng
竞天公诚律师事务所
HeadquartersBeijing, China
Key peopleZhao Yang (chairman of the management committee)
Date founded1992 (Jingtian)
1996 (Gongcheng)
2000 (Jingtian & Gongcheng)
Websitewww.jingtian.com

Jingtian & Gongcheng (Chinese: 竞天公诚律师事务所) is a Chinese full-service "Red Circle" commercial law firm headquartered in Beijing. Its practice includes capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, dispute resolution, investment funds, private equity and venture capital, regulatory compliance, intellectual property, technology and data, energy, and real estate.[1]

The present firm was formed in 2000 through the merger of Beijing Jingtian Law Firm, established in 1992, and Beijing Gongcheng Law Firm, established in 1996.[2] The firm nevertheless describes its origins in directory profiles as dating to the early 1990s.[3]

Jingtian & Gongcheng is commonly identified as one of China's "Red Circle" law firms, an informal grouping of leading Chinese commercial law firms.[4][5]

History

The firm's predecessors were Beijing Jingtian Law Firm (北京市竞天律师事务所), approved by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice on 22 April 1992, and Beijing Gongcheng Law Firm (北京市公诚律师事务所), approved on 11 June 1996. On 16 May 2000, the two firms merged with the approval of the bureau to form Beijing Jingtian & Gongcheng Law Firm (北京市竞天公诚律师事务所).[2]

The distinction between the firm's legal formation and its institutional history has resulted in different founding dates being used in descriptions of the firm. Regulatory documents issued by Jingtian & Gongcheng identify 16 May 2000 as the date on which the two predecessor firms were merged,[2] while the firm's profile supplied to Chambers and Partners describes it as having been founded in the "early 1990s".[3]

Hong Kong

Jingtian & Gongcheng entered the Hong Kong legal market in 2015 through an association with Mayer Brown JSM. The Law Society of Hong Kong approved the association in September 2015. Mayer Brown provided office space and other resources to Jingtian lawyers in Hong Kong, while the two firms remained separate entities.[6]

In 2018, Jingtian & Gongcheng decided to establish its own local Hong Kong practice. The formal association with Mayer Brown JSM ended on 31 August 2018 and was replaced by a global cooperation agreement under which the firms remained separate partnerships.[7]

In September 2018, Jingtian & Gongcheng formed an association with L&C Legal, a newly established Hong Kong firm founded by former Mayer Brown JSM lawyers Elaine Lo and Nicholas Chan.[8] Jingtian & Gongcheng and L&C subsequently agreed to merge their Hong Kong practices. The merger took effect on 30 April 2019, with the combined entity operating as Jingtian & Gongcheng LLP.[9]

Mainland expansion

The firm expanded its mainland network during the 2020s. It opened a Chongqing office on 19 December 2025, its second branch in southwestern China after Chengdu.[10]

On 24 April 2026, Jingtian & Gongcheng opened an office in Ningbo, its fourth presence in the Yangtze River Delta after Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou.[11]

Organisation and practice

Jingtian & Gongcheng is a full-service commercial firm. The Legal 500 ranks its practices in capital markets, corporate and M&A, banking and finance, arbitration, litigation, investment funds, private equity, regulatory compliance, data protection, intellectual property, employment, life sciences, energy, real estate and construction, restructuring and other areas.[1]

Capital markets has historically been one of the firm's principal practices. The Legal 500 ranks Jingtian & Gongcheng in its first tier for PRC-firm capital-markets work and describes the practice as having longstanding experience in domestic and overseas offerings, including listings in Hong Kong and the United States, domestic A-share offerings, refinancing and asset restructurings.[12] Its technology, media and telecommunications practice is also ranked in the first tier.[13]

The firm's 2026 profile supplied to Chambers and Partners lists more than 190 partners and more than 800 legal professionals.[3] Zhao Yang serves as chairman of the firm's management committee.[14]

Partner backgrounds

A 2020 study of nine leading Beijing corporate law firms identified a strong connection between Jingtian & Gongcheng and Peking University. Of the 41 Jingtian & Gongcheng partners included in the researchers' dataset, 26 were Peking University graduates. The university's graduates also accounted for 66.7 per cent of the firm's founding cohort.[5]

Practice

Capital markets has been a significant part of the firm's practice.[15] In 2018, Jingtian & Gongcheng acted as PRC counsel to the underwriters of Xiaomi's HK$36 billion Hong Kong initial public offering.[16] Xiaomi was the first company to list in Hong Kong with a weighted voting rights structure after reforms to the territory's listing regime took effect.[17] In 2024, Jingtian & Gongcheng acted as PRC legal adviser to China Resources Beverage on its HK$5.04 billion Hong Kong IPO.[18]

The firm has also advised on cross-border mergers and acquisitions. In 2016, it acted as the main coordinating counsel to Suning Commerce Group in its €270 million acquisition of a nearly 70% stake in Italian football club Inter Milan.[19]

Recognition

At the 2020 Asia Legal Awards, Jingtian & Gongcheng was named Asian Law Firm of the Year. Its Hong Kong office separately received the New Asian Office of the Year award.[20]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Jingtian & Gongcheng – China rankings". The Legal 500. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "北京市竞天公诚律师事务所关于广东翔鹭钨业股份有限公司2023年度向特定对象发行A股股票的法律意见书" (PDF). 巨潮资讯网 (in Chinese). 16 June 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "Jingtian & Gongcheng, Greater China Region 2026". Chambers and Partners. 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Kriegler, Yun (25 September 2017). "Revealed: Top 30 Chinese firm profits reached £1.4bn in 2016". The Lawyer. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Zhu, Jingqi; Zhao, Yang; Liu, Sida (2020). "Inside the 'Red Circle': the production of China's corporate legal elite". Journal of Professions and Organization. 7 (1): 87–100. doi:10.1093/jpo/joaa006.
  6. ↑ Basham, Victoria (2 September 2015). "Mayer Brown JSM and Jingtian launch association in Hong Kong". The Global Legal Post. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Dolor, Sol (12 July 2018). "Mayer Brown JSM, Jingtian & Gongcheng ink global pact". Australasian Lawyer. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Dolor, Sol (2018). "Chinese firm forges new association in HK". Australasian Lawyer. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  9. ↑ "Red Circle firm Jingtian & Gongcheng initiates a merger with Hong Kong firm". Asialaw. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  10. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng opens in Chongqing". China Business Law Journal. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng opens key Yangtze delta branch in Ningbo". China Business Law Journal. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  12. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng – Capital markets: PRC firms". The Legal 500. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  13. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng – TMT: PRC firms". The Legal 500. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng opens key Yangtze delta branch in Ningbo". China Business Law Journal. 28 April 2026. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "Jingtian & Gongcheng – Capital markets: PRC firms". The Legal 500. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Deals of the Year 2018". China Business Law Journal. 31 January 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "HKEX to Offer Investors More Options When Xiaomi Shares Debut". Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Quintet assists on CR Beverage's HKD5bn listing". China Business Law Journal. 23 October 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Kriegler, Yun (6 June 2016). "Cleary, Latham and Jingtian strike as China's Suning acquires Inter Milan". The Lawyer. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  20. ↑ "2020 Winners: Asia Legal Awards". Law.com. 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
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