Lifang & Partners

Firm overview:

Lifang & Partners’ litigation practice is lauded by clients and peers alike. The firm serves clients from offices in six major Chinese business hubs as well as Seoul, and coordinates with firms in other jurisdictions on cross-border disputes.

Companies looking for assistance in China on litigation involving technical subject areas turn to Lifang’s team for their in-depth knowledge of various scientific fields. Many of its practitioners have been singled out by Chinese and international publications as top-tier litigators.

In accordance with its social responsibility goals, this year Lifang established the Public Interest Law Center of Cultural Heritage to provide legal services for the protection and development of traditional Chinese culture. The firm is dedicated to ensuring the continuation of the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage, drawing on its IP expertise to assist in this aim.

Team overview:

In April 2024, Lifang promoted five new partners in Beijing and Shanghai. They included life sciences specialist Yang Jian, who has particular expertise in tumour biology and immunology, and Wu Xuting who has assisted with FRAND issues in standard-essential patent disputes.

Ji Heng—also promoted to partner this year—formerly worked in the machinery patent examination department of the CNIPA, and has examined around 1,400 patents, been involved in over 40 patent analysis projects and conducted freedom-to-operate analyses.

Key matters:

Lifang represented Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) against Innoscience (Zhuhai) Technology Company and successfully defended patent invalidity challenges to two key EPC patents involving gallium nitride (GaN) technology. The trial team was led by senior partner Wu Li along with senior counsel Wang Rui and senior attorney Zheng Haiyang.