Press Release

On January 6, 2022, Han Kun Law Offices ("Han Kun") and Shanghai Young-Ben Law Firm ("Young-Ben") reached an agreement that all Young-Ben partners, business departments, and administrative teams will join Han Kun's Shanghai office.

Han Kun is a full-service law firm in China, headquartered in Beijing with offices in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Haikou and Hong Kong. With over 800 legal professionals and support personnel, Han Kun specializes in complex domestic and international commercial transactions and dispute resolutions. It has been widely recognized as a leading law firm in the Chinese legal services industry. The firm is well-known in private equity, mergers and acquisitions, PRC and non-PRC capital markets, investment funds/asset management, antitrust/competition, banking and finance, aviation finance, foreign direct investment, corporate compliance, private client wealth management, intellectual property, and dispute resolutions. For years, Han Kun has been consistently ranked by global legal directories as a top-tier PRC law firm in the Asia-Pacific region. The Shanghai office of Han Kun, which exemplifies traditional strengths of the firm, has expanded rapidly into life sciences and healthcare, fintech, the global asset management and corporate compliance in recent years. It is a regular participant in projects of significant impact and has earned a reputation in the market for providing outstanding legal services with innovative solutions to practical problems.

Young-Ben is a boutique law firm established in 2007. It specializes in finance and commercial dispute resolutions and is well-known for its quality legal services. It has developed an extensive client base consisting of governmental agencies, domestic and overseas financial institutions, state-owned enterprises and listed companies at its core. Young-Ben's practice covers diverse industries including banking, trust, insurance, asset management, investment and finance, manufacturing, real estate, commercial chains, international trade, media and advertising, new energy sources, and others. Young-Ben has been consistently recognized by leading legal directories with such accolades as the Rising Law Firm, Shanghai Law Firm of the Year, and China Firms to Watch. In 2019, it was ranked among the Top 20 Shanghai Outstanding Law Firms.

The Yangtze River Delta region is one of the most dynamic, open, and innovative economic hubs in China and Shanghai is not only the undisputed leader of the region, but also a benchmark of China's continuing opening up to the world and growing market for international legal services. Han Kun has made it a top priority to continuously enhance its presence in Shanghai and expand the scope of its professional services in the entire region. Young-Ben, well recognized as the representative of the boutique firms with typical Shanghai-style culture, has adhered to the corporatized management model and the path of professional development ever since its establishment. The agreement to merge is a decision by both firms in response to the general trend of the times and to the growing appetite for high-end professional legal services. The agreement is also a reflection of the common vision, shared value, compatible culture and management philosophies of the two firms.

Young-Ben will also benefit from this merger. Han Kun, as one of the best law firms in China, has attracted a large number of excellent legal professionals in multiple legal fields and industries. Its corporatized management model enables the firm to provide clients with one-stop, diverse, coordinated legal support with high-quality and efficiency. Given that, the merger will undoubtedly bring synergic effects for the original Young-Ben teams and result in better legal services and support in a wider scope for former Young-Ben clients.

We believe Young-Ben will further strengthen Han Kun's core competitiveness and expand the scope of Han Kun's professional services in Shanghai. Also, under Han Kun's cross-department, cross-region close collaboration model, the merger will better meet the needs for legal services in the Yangtze River Delta region.