What we accept: a China connection is required
A party in China or holding Chinese nationality, domicile, habitual residence or identity documents; or property, company equity, evidence, a document or an enforcement step located in or directed at China.
All parties, assets and documents sit outside China and no Chinese court or authority needs to act.
Jurisdiction, service abroad, authentication for Chinese filings, what a Chinese court can reach, and enforceability are all Chinese procedural questions. Without them, our experience is not an advantage.
Eligible and not eligible, at a glance
We can help when at least one applies
- A party lives in China, or holds Chinese nationality, domicile, habitual residence or identity documents.
- China real estate, bank accounts, company equity, shares or other assets are involved.
- The marriage was registered in China, or a Chinese court or authority must act for the outcome to be usable.
- Evidence, service, authorisation, notarisation, Apostille or translation must be handled for China.
- A foreign divorce decree, settlement or custody order needs to be recognised or used in China.
- Property, a company interest or an estate situated in China needs division, transfer or succession steps.
We do not accept
- All parties, all assets and all documents are outside China, and no Chinese court or authority is involved.
- You need advice on, or representation in, the courts of another country only.
- You want a foreign judgment enforced abroad, with no step required in China.
- You need a document prepared or filed outside China, for use outside China.
Why we set this limit rather than accepting everything
This is a deliberate limit, not a marketing position. Our work depends on Chinese procedure: which court has jurisdiction, how service is effected on a party abroad, how documents are authenticated for Chinese filings, what a Chinese court can and cannot reach, and whether the resulting instrument can be enforced. Where none of that is in play, those are not advantages — and the client pays for expertise that the matter does not need.
It also keeps the standard of advice honest. A firm that accepts purely foreign matters must speak to the procedure of a jurisdiction it does not practise in; we would rather say clearly that a local lawyer should handle it.
How to tell whether your matter qualifies
- People. Is any party in China, or holding Chinese nationality, domicile, habitual residence or identity documents?
- Assets. Is there real estate, an account, equity, shares or other property situated in China?
- Proceedings. Must a Chinese court or authority act — a judgment, a mediation ruling, a recognition, a registration, an enforcement step — for the outcome to be usable?
- Documents. Must service, authorisation, notarisation, an Apostille or a Chinese translation be handled for a Chinese procedure?
If the answer to any of those is yes, the matter is usually within scope. If all four are no, the matter is purely foreign and we would not accept it.
How the free initial review works
The first review is free. We establish whether the matter is within scope, then explain the realistic route and its likely cost — including which parts a Chinese court can deal with directly and which need value-offset, agreement, or separate steps elsewhere. We do not accept an engagement, and do not charge, until that scope question is settled.
Frequently asked questions
Send us the basic facts for a free scope assessment.