Three Morrison Foerster Partners Recognized at The Legal 500 China Awards 2024

Three Morrison Foerster lawyers received individual recognitions at The Legal 500 China Awards 2024. The winners were selected on the basis of The Legal 500’s independent research, which recognizes “the leading firms, lawyers, as well as in-house counsels and teams who have contributed immensely to China’s fast growing and complex legal market.”

Shanghai managing partner Chuan Sun was named Managing Partner of the Year: Foreign Firms. During his tenure as managing partner, Chuan has played a significant role in a number of important aspects including actively promoting the firm’s development, implementing core values, developing strategic plans, and bringing in outstanding talent and supporting the growth of young lawyers. Chuan is also an M&A and Technology Transactions partner and has more than 20 years of experience in both Asia and the U.S. He focuses his practice on cross-border M&A transactions, sophisticated TMT transactions, and complex IP/commercial matters across Greater China. Chuan has been recommended by Chambers Greater China Region and The Legal 500 in a variety of practice areas, including corporate/M&A, TMT, data privacy, IP, life sciences, and fintech, and has been recognized by Asian Legal Business (ALB) on its 2023 list of China’s Top 15 Cybersecurity & Data Protection Lawyers and its 2020 list of China’s Top 15 TMT Lawyers.

Partner Paul McKenzie was named Data Protection: Foreign Firms Lawyer of the Year. Paul has more than 30 years’ experience advising international businesses investing in or doing business in China. He is a member of MoFo’s market-leading Global Privacy + Data Security Group and advises clients on a wide range of data and cybersecurity issues, including lawful grounds for processing personal data, data localization and cross-border transfer rules, systems compliance, network security, and use of encryption technologies. Recently, Paul has been honored by ALB on its 2024 list of China’s Top 15 Cybersecurity & Data Protection Lawyers. He was also ranked Band 1 in the inaugural China: TMT: Data Protection & Privacy (International Firms) category in Chambers Greater China Region in 2024. 

Partner Rongjing Zhao was named Private Equity: Foreign Firms Lawyer of the Year. Rongjing has extensive experience advising private equity firms, institutional investors, and major corporations on complex cross-border transactions. Renowned for her leadership in high-profile, complex transactions, and as an advocate for responsible technology and sustainable business practices, Rongjing is a standout figure in the legal profession. In her more than 17 years of practice, Rongjing has quickly emerged as a leading advisor on high-impact, transformative transactions, with a total aggregate value exceeding US$100 billion. Recent examples of her exceptional work include Ascendent’s US$1.66 billion take-private of Nasdaq-listed Chinese company Hollysys Automation Technologies and OcuMension’s HKD 1.28 billion asset acquisition from Alcon. Recently, she was also recognized as one of the Top 15 Female Lawyers in China by ALB in 2024. 

With offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong, Morrison Foerster has a strong presence in China, handling major matters in the region for nearly 40 years. We were among the first U.S. law firms to establish an office in China’s major business centers. We have more than 50 U.S., Hong Kong, PRC, and England and Wales qualified professionals, who work closely with attorneys throughout the firm to deliver calibrated and sound advice to clients. We counsel a wide variety of clients in China on their high-profile investment, finance, and regulatory matters, including many of the world’s largest multinationals and the most substantial and active institutional PRC companies, as well as leading companies in the technology, entertainment, telecommunications, life sciences, energy, clean technology, and renewable energy industries.

View the full list of winners.