Introduction
The northern port city of Tianjin has been designated by the central Chinese government as a key economic centre in China and has been granted numerous national preferential policies. With two offices in the Tianjin area, the Join & High Law Firm has more than 70 legal professionals with specialized knowledge in all major areas of commercial law and specifically understands how its clients might better plan transactions to enjoy the benefit from these preferential economic policies. Join & High has substantial expertise in the areas of corporate and finance, real estate and construction, IT and IP, and dispute resolution.
Awards and Recognition
As a finalist for the 2008 Asian Legal Business award for Best Law Firm in Tianjin, Join & High is recognized as a leader in the Tianjin legal community. Though the firm was only recently established through a merger of two firms in 2006, Join & High's predecessor firms had a history of receiving awards, including the Tianjin People's Satisfaction Award, in celebration of their excellent skills in the local legal community.
Representative Clients
The firm's representative clients include the Caterpillar, BASF, Mitsubishi, Bank of China Tianjin Branch, Samsung Electronics Displayer (Tianjin) Co., China Mobile Group Tianjin Co., Tianjin Coca-Cola Bottling Limited Company, Otis Elevator (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Kaspersky, China Pacific Insurance Shareholding Company Tianjin Branch, China Orient Assets Management Corporation Tianjin Office, Walbro (Tianjin) Industry Co., Ltd., Corus Aluminium Extrusions Tianjin Co., Ltd., China Ocean Petrol Group Bohai Co., Ltd., Tianjin Transportation (Group) Limited Company, Vcanland Group, Minelco (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Hua Feng Group (China) Logistics Co., Ltd., and Tianjin Port (Group) Co., Ltd., LG Electronics (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Tianjin Tong Yee Industrial Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Zhongxin Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd.
Founding and Offices
Join & High was established in April 2006 through a merger between two law firms, Sifang Law Office and Junhui Law Office. Join & High has two offices in Tianjin, one in the Tianjin Municipality area and another in the Tianjin Technological & Economic Development Area (TEDA). Through its concentrated practice in Tianjin, Join & High is qualified and uniquely situated to give the highest standards of legal services to those clients interested in dealing in this ever expanding region.
Qualifications and Background of Lawyers
Besides being locally educated and qualified in the law, Join & High has several lawyers who have received education abroad in such countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, as well as in Hong Kong. English is a working language for many lawyers in the firm and some have obtained additional skills through their previous employment at large international law firms. These skills have proved extremely useful in the many instances Join & High have associated dealings with foreign international law firms.
Government Relations
Join & High provides comprehensive cross-regional and cross-national legal services through its extensive network of relationships with domestic government organizations and judicial departments. Government positions currently being held by Join & High lawyers include three members in the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference at the local level, six members in the Tianjin Lawyers' Association who are either on the association's Standing Council or are members of the council and three members who serve in the All China Lawyers' Association (ACLA).
As a trusted advisor to government clients, Join & High also serves as legal counsel to the Administrative Committee of Tianjin Binhai New Area, the People's Government of Tanggu District, the People's Government of Heping District, the People's Government of Jinnan District, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Tianjin and the Development and Reform Commission of Tianjin.
Main Practice Areas
Corporate and Finance
Legal issues in corporate and finance law are very complex whether in China or elsewhere in the world. Clients with corporate and finance related legal issues in Tianjin or in greater China may comfortably rely on Join & High's corporate and finance group, as this practice group represents one of the firm's core practice areas. With more than ten dedicated legal professionals with several years of corporate and finance related experience, Join & High's corporate and finance group advises clients on a wide array of services including business incorporation, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures, foreign company listing and all aspects of finance, with a particular focus on executing loans, charges and mortgages.
Key partners in the Corporate and Finance Practice Group of Join & High include Zhang Xiaoli (see bios of key partners below).
Representative Corporate and Finance matters include:
- Advised Tianjin Coca-cola Bottling Limited Company between 2004-2005 on perusal and examination of daily business contracts, which were valued at RMB 100 million
- Advised Angel Group Co., Ltd. on a merger with PRYSMIAN Cavi e Sistemi Energia S.r.l, which was valued at RMB 90 million
- Advised Beijing Zhongguancun Software Park Development Co., Ltd. on the establishment of a foreign-invested joint stock limited company with Tata Consultancy Services Asia Pacific Pte Ltd., which was valued at RMB 50 million
- Advised Huayi Compressor Public Company on an M&A matter, which was valued at RMB 160 million
- Advised Hua Feng (China) Logistics Limited Company on an M&A matter, which was valued at RMB 9 million.
Real Estate and Construction
The legal issues that arise in real estate and construction transactions under China's land use rights system are unique and challenging to nearly all foreign and domestic clients. However, Join & High's Real Estate and Construction Practice Group has specialized knowledge and local government relations that help it navigate its clients through the regulatory structure over the China real estate market. The real estate practice group advises clients on the acquisition of land use rights, project planning, project financing and construction contract issues. With more than ten legal professionals holding many years of experience, the real estate and construction group of Join & High gives excellent advice to both international and domestic clients considering a real estate transaction in China.
Key partners in real estate and construction group of Join & High include Ma Hong (see bios of key partners below).
Representative real estate and construction matters include:
- Advised Bin Li Town Investment and Construction Development Co., Ltd. on the construction of Bin Li Town in Tianjin Dong Li district
- Advised Ge Long Wan Town Investment and Construction Development Co., Ltd. on the construction of Ge Long Wan Town in Jin Nan district
- Advised Vcanland Group on the construction of Villa Town in Jin Nan district
- Advised Tianjin Haihe Construction Development Investment Ltd. on the construction of infrastructure along the Haihe River.
IT and IP
As technology becomes more important to keep China's vibrant economic growth, Join & High's IT and IP group maintains an excellent core practice in these areas that helps keep its client's business interests connected and protected in today's modern Chinese economy. The IT and IP group at Join & High focuses on giving advice to clients regarding the protection of all types of IPR, IPR risk management, registration of IPR and licensing or franchising agreements. The Join & High IT and IP group also has dedicated attorneys to handle litigation and disputes specifically arising out of IPR. With a history of experienced practitioners in this evolving area, Join & High is ever-prepared to handle the modern issues that arise under IT and IP laws.
Key partners in Join & High's IT and IP Practice Group include Liu Jixiang. (see bios of key partners below).
Representative IT and IP matters include:
- Advised China Mobile Group Tianjin Co. Ltd. on protection of IPR and legal risk management in business operations
- Advised John Crane Timing Seal (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. on an agreement involving the research and development of new technologies with another company
- Acted for Tianjin JinJin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. on the development and transfer of technologies
- Acted for Jin Bin Development Company on a domain name dispute with an American company, the first case involving a domain name dispute in Tianjin
- Acted for Dan Hai Company on a domain name dispute with an American company.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
No client wants a transaction to result in substantial legal conflict. However, if a dispute arises for a Join & High client, they can be confident as Join & High maintains an excellent litigation and dispute resolution group as one of their core firm practice areas. The litigation and arbitration group advises clients and has substantial experience in the resolution of disputes related to contracts, commercial disputes and property disputes through litigation, mediation and arbitration. With more than twenty dedicated legal professionals holding many years of practical in court experience, Join & High has excellent advocacy skills and valuable advice for those who unfortunately find themselves in a legal dispute in China.
The key partners in the Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group of Join & High include Shen Xingzheng and Huo Gang (see bios of key partners below).
Representative litigation and arbitration matters include:
- Acted for Bank of China's Tianjin Branch on a litigation matter
- Acted for Tianjin Jan Del Nul Dredging Co., Ltd. on an arbitration matter, which was valued at over RMB 20 million
- Acted for Tianjin Jinjing Boke Shareholding Company on a litigation matter, which was valued at RMB 50 million
- Acted for Tianjin Plastics Group Co., Ltd. on a litigation matter
- Acted for Tianjin Agricultural Cooperation Bank on a litigation matter.
Biographies of Key Partners
Ma Hong is a senior partner in Join & High's real estate and construction group in the Tianjin office. His practice focuses on the acquisition of land use rights and construction issues. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1992, after he earned a B.A. and an L.L.M. from Nankai University.
Shen Xingzheng is a senior partner in Join & High's Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group. His practice focuses on the resolution of commercial disputes through litigation, mediation, and arbitration. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1987 after receiving an L.L.M. from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Huo Gang is a senior partner in Join & High's Litigation and Arbitration Practice Group. His practice focuses on the resolution of commercial disputes through litigation, mediation and arbitration. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1985 after receiving a B.A. and L.L.M. from China University of Political Science and Law. Additionally, he has studied law in both Hong Kong and the United States.
Gao Fengtong, Senior partner, Director of Supervising Commission, and the major partner of the legal services team of real estate and construction in the Tianjin Join-high law office, practices mainly in the areas of corporate law, real-estate law and the construction law of small counties. Lawyer Gao graduated from China University of Political Science And Law and has been working as a lawyer since 1989. He has provided legal service for several large-scale projects of trading markets, vacation areas, re-construction of counties. Before joining Join & high law office, Mr. Gao used to be an honored judge and has also given lectures of Civil Law and Economic law in Tianjin TV University where he was appreciated deeply by the school and students.
Liu Jixiang is a senior partner in Join & High's IT and IP Practice Group. His practice focuses on litigation and disputes related to IPR protection. He has been a practicing lawyer since 1992, after he received a B.A. in science and an L.L.M. at China University of Political Science and Law.
Zhang Xiaoli is a senior partner in Join & High's Corporate and Finance Practice Group. Her practice is focused on finance with specific expertise in providing execution on loans, charges and mortgages. She has been a practicing lawyer since 1999. She received an L.L.B. and an L.L.M. from East China University of Political Science and Law and from Nankai University, respectively.
Qiu Kai, Senior partner, Member of Standing Committee of Partner's Conference, and major partner of the legal services team of real estate and construction in the Tianjin Join-high law, practices mainly in the areas of real estate law, construction law and corporate management. Lawyer Qiu graduated from Nankai University with a Master's degree and has been working as a lawyer since 1992.
Contact Join & High Law Firm
Tianjin Office
Tianjin Technological & Economic Development Area (Binhai) Office