Based in Jinan, Shandong, China | Serving clients worldwide
After Things Go Wrong
Defrauded or Breached?
Let Us Tell You Honestly
Most overseas buyers who contact a Chinese lawyer have already lost money. Fewer than one in ten of those matters ends in court — and pretending otherwise helps nobody. We start by telling you where your case actually stands.
The Honest Part
We Tell You the Truth First
Chinese courts are a real remedy, but they are not a fast one and they are not free. Before you spend money on proceedings, three questions need honest answers:
Is there a defendant worth suing?
An entity that exists, has assets, and is the one that actually contracted with you.
Can you prove the claim?
Signed contract, payment records, and evidence of the breach — in a form a Chinese court will accept.
Does recovery exceed cost?
Fees, translation, notarisation and time, set against what is realistically collectable.
When the answer to any of these is no, we say so — and we tell you what the alternatives are. Negotiated recovery, demand letters and settlement are often cheaper and faster than a judgment you cannot enforce.
Four Routes
Debt Collection, Litigation, Arbitration and Enforcement in China
Debt Collection
Pre-legal recovery efforts — negotiation, demand and payment pressure — before formal proceedings.
Litigation
Representation before Chinese courts, including jurisdiction strategy, evidence preparation and hearings.
Arbitration
CIETAC, HKIAC, ICC and other institutional arbitration, plus enforcement of awards in China.
Enforcement
Asset preservation, account freezing and enforcement of judgments and arbitral awards.
Suing a Chinese Company From Abroad
You do not have to be in China to sue a Chinese company. What you do need is an enforceable claim, the correct defendant named exactly as it appears on the business licence, and evidence that a Chinese court will accept. In practice the first question is not "can I sue" but "who do I sue and where". A contract signed with a trade name, a group company or an English name that does not match any registration is the most common reason a claim stalls before it starts. We check the counterparty's registered identity, the governing law and forum clause you actually signed, and the limitation period that applies, then tell you which route — demand letter, litigation or arbitration — is worth the cost.
CIETAC Arbitration and Other China Forums
Where your contract names CIETAC, SHIAC or another China-seated commission, an award is generally enforceable in China without relitigating the dispute — and, under the New York Convention, in the other contracting states as well. Where the contract names a foreign court instead, enforcement in China depends on treaty or reciprocity and is a materially harder route. The difference is usually decided at drafting stage, long before a dispute exists. If you are reviewing a contract now, this is the clause worth spending time on.
Three Stages
Scope Defined at Every Step
Each stage is scoped independently. You can stop after any one of them.
Stage 1
Lawyer's Letter & Negotiation
A formal demand on law-firm letterhead. Frequently enough to bring a supplier back to the table without filing anything.
From $500
Stage 2
Filing — Litigation or Arbitration
Case assessment, evidence bundle, filing and representation through to award or judgment.
Negotiated per case
Stage 3
Enforcement & Asset Recovery
Asset preservation, account freezing and enforcement proceedings.
Negotiated per case
How the fees work
- Only Stage 1 is charged at the fixed fee shown above.
- Stage 2 (case representation) and Stage 3 (enforcement and asset recovery) carry no standard price — both are negotiated per case, taking into account the amount in dispute, the jurisdiction and seat, evidential complexity, the number of instances, and enforcement prospects.
- A written fee proposal is always provided before anything is filed.
Realistic Expectations
What Clients Ask Us First
The first stage - a formal demand letter and a negotiation round - starts from $500 as a fixed fee. If the matter has to move to litigation or arbitration, fees are quoted per case after we have read the contract and the evidence, because the cost depends on the amount in dispute, the forum and whether enforcement is needed. We set out the estimated range in writing before you commit to that stage.
Stage 1 covers a letter on your behalf, a defined negotiation window, and a written assessment of whether proceedings are worth the cost. It is built to resolve clear non-delivery and quality disputes without going to court. Where the supplier does not reply or has nothing to seize, we say so at the end of Stage 1 instead of escalating automatically.
Yes. Correspondence, written advice, draft letters and reports are in English. Filings with Chinese courts and tribunals are in Chinese, and we handle the translation and the filing. Calls can be scheduled in your time zone.
Usually the signed contract or proforma invoice, proof of payment, the supplier's registered Chinese company name, and the email or chat thread showing what was agreed. If some of these are missing, send what you have - we will tell you what is still needed before quoting.
Chinese court proceedings at first instance commonly run six to twelve months; enforcement can add further time. Arbitration is often faster at the award stage, but the enforcement step is similar.
Yes — foreign parties routinely sue in China. The practical requirements are a local lawyer, notarised and authenticated documents, and Chinese translations of key evidence.
That is the decisive question, and we answer it before you commit. Where the company is empty, we look at shareholder liability, unpaid capital contributions and related entities.
Often it is the better commercial outcome. A structured settlement that actually pays beats a judgment against a company with nothing to seize.
Prevention is cheaper than recovery — verify the next supplier before you pay them.