25 ASIAN LEGAL BUSINESS CHINA • 亚洲法律杂志-中国版 WWW.LEGALBUSINESSONLINE.COM/CHINA “Zhong Lun’s brand, expertise, and operational model might yield substantial business prospects in major cities, yet in Hainan, we made a conscious decision to emphasize boutique, specialized positioning, catering to highend clients and enterprises like Hainan Development Holdings, Hainan Financial Holdings, Hainan Equity Trading Centre, Hainan Free Trade Port Fund, Hainan Provincial Finance Group, and Haikou Comprehensive Bonded Zone,” Liao conveys. “We even voluntarily relinquished certain conventional business areas, eschewing price-based competition, as doing so would ultimately undermine clients’ interests. Our aspiration is: for the same endeavor, we must enhance its execution; for undertakings others can’t manage, we must be capable of addressing them, offering adept and efficient resolutions. Despite encountering numerous challenges over the past three years, our trajectory remains unwavering.” In 2022, AllBright Haikou came into existence, and in a little over a year, the team has burgeoned to 70 members, including 10 partners and 3 senior partners. Despite this remarkable growth, Zhao Liang underscores that AllBright Haikou also aspires to foster a “boutique firm that pursues quality rather than undirected scale.” The office has achieved notable revenue since its inception, relying on meticulous service and active expansion into foreign-related, financial, medical, aviation, and education sectors that align with the FTP’s developmental direction. DeHeng also set foot in Haikou in 2022, and presently boasts a staff of 20, primarily rendering services in domestic and international dispute resolution, enterprise risk management, compliance, financing and mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy and reorganization, capital markets, corporate securities, labor law, and tax law. Their clientele is primarily drawn from financial, medical, and real estate domains, alongside various governmental bodies. Reflecting on the preceding year’s development, Lin Rujin states that DeHeng has leveraged its existing brand strengths while deeply appreciating the significance of local resources. “Effectively, DeHeng Haikou stems from an amalgamation with a local law firm, offering clients specialized legal services that are grounded in Hainan’s current state while retaining a global outlook,” he shares. Simultaneously, Wang Shuo believes that the resource advantages of a nationwide law firm brand are pivotal for future competitiveness. He informs ALB that with the FTP’s progress, the demand for Hong Kong, Macau, and foreign legal affairs is progressively increasing. “DeHeng Sanya now serves as a bridge, collaborating with our overseas offices to address various requirements of clients in foreign investment, international commercial transactions, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, bond funds, bank financing, and dispute resolution, offering seamless and highquality cross-border legal services.” NEXT STEPS With the relaxation of pandemic controls this year and a strategic emphasis on sectors like healthcare and consumption as pivotal post-pandemic drivers for China’s economy, the stage is perfectly set for the advancement of Hainan FTP. Lawyers are eagerly anticipating further expansion in the local economy and the legal services sector. Lin Rujin underscores that the forthcoming trajectory for DeHeng Haikou will concentrate on cross-border trade and investment, financial innovation, intellectual property, and shipping and logistics. Meanwhile, Wang Shuo holds particular anticipation for the swift progress of the healthcare, wellness, consumer industries, and modern financial services. As the 2025 milestone approaches, signifying Hainan’s jurisdiction beyond China customs, modern financial services are poised to ascend to a higher level. This could potentially entail greater freedom in realms such as private fund management, overseas remittances, and bill financing, consequently fostering escalated demand for related legal services. Zhao Liang discloses to ALB that AllBright Haikou will channel its efforts 作为中国制度创新的又一重要 尝试，2020年《海南自由贸易港建设 总体方案》公布以来，不断有新规新 政在海南落地，促进这座岛屿上的不 同产业实现快速发展。虽然疫情不免 放缓了发展脚步，但过去三年，自贸 港建设的进展依旧不容小觑。 廖晖律师是中伦律师事务所海口 办公室执行委员会主任，他告诉ALB， 过去几年一个明显的感受是“外资的 活跃程度逐步提升。自贸港建设以来， 海南实际使用外资年均增长超六成， 这是一个地区开放程度的重要标志”。 伴随资本而来的还有高水平的投 资者。廖律师观察到，许多央企、国企 陆续到海南设立区域总部，跨国企业 对此也跃跃欲试。今年3月，海南省商 务厅印发了《促进总部经济发展管理 办法》，希望吸引四种类型，即跨国公 司地区总部、综合型（区域型）总部、高 成长型总部、国际组织（机构）地区总 部来到海南，“增加海南的国际化元 素，鼓励拥有核心技术、知识产权，或 REGIONAL REPORT: HAINAN into offshore finance and trusts, banking and private equity funds, family offices, import and export trade, intellectual property, maritime law, and cross-border e-commerce services in the upcoming phase. Liao Hui shares that in the forthcoming period, Zhong Lun Haikou will persist in excelling within traditional domains like dispute resolution, engineering, and project development. Additionally, the office will pivot towards non-litigation realms such as investment and mergers, capital markets, financing, private equity, and investment funds. These fields align with Zhong Lun’s professional strengths and enthusiasm to contribute to Hainan’s market evolution. Furthermore, after establishing the office’s foundation over three years, Liao feels that the “Zhong Lun model is viable in Hainan FTP’s development.” Zhong Lun Haikou is now entering a “growth stage,” aiming to engage topnotch professionals in Hainan within targeted practice areas through integration into the Zhong Lun platform. “We firmly believe that Hainan’s future holds promise,” he asserts.
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