Li Xiuhua is the managing partner of Shanghai Shengwo Law Firm. His practice brings together commercial litigation, insurance claims and economic-crime defence, with particular attention to matters where civil and criminal risk overlap.
How he works with international clients
International matters rarely fit into a single legal category. A shareholder dispute may raise questions of company control, employment and regulatory exposure; an insurance claim may sit alongside a commercial negotiation; a criminal enquiry may affect a foreign executive's visa and the company's operations.
Li works with the firm's English-language client desk to produce a clear case assessment, a written strategy and a realistic view of the procedural steps. He coordinates the Chinese court, arbitration and enforcement work and, where a matter crosses borders, works alongside the client's overseas counsel.
Foreign-related dispute strengths
- Commercial and shareholder disputes involving foreign-invested companies in China.
- Asset preservation, judgment enforcement and recovery planning.
- Insurance and contractual claims, including coverage disputes and denial-of-claim positions.
- Economic-crime and regulatory risk arising from business operations, with a civil-law response where appropriate.
- Coordination of Chinese proceedings with foreign litigation, arbitration or investigation timelines.
The focus is on the legal issue that actually decides the case: the documents, the payments, the approvals and the conduct of the parties. The team avoids presenting every matter as a courtroom fight when a negotiated or procedural route is more effective.
Services for international clients
- Initial case assessment and written strategy.
- Pre-litigation negotiation and settlement design.
- Asset and evidence preservation applications.
- First-instance and appeal proceedings in Chinese courts.
- Arbitration and enforcement of awards or judgments.
- Insurance claims and coverage disputes.
- Corporate and individual criminal-risk assessment where civil and criminal issues overlap.
Background
Li is a senior partner and the firm's managing partner. He is an intermediate economist and a member of the Insurance Business Research Committee of the Shanghai Bar Association. His practice has covered commercial disputes, property and contract matters, insurance claims, family and succession disputes, and economic-crime defence.
Working style
Li's approach is documentation-led. The team builds a chronology, tests the evidence against the legal elements and identifies the points that can actually be proved. Advice is given in writing where the decision is significant, so the client can see the reasoning and the risks before committing to a route.
He does not promise outcomes. The aim is to give the client a clear view of the position, the available options and the cost of each step, then to pursue the chosen route with consistent preparation.