On May 31, 2026, the winners were announced of the "2025 Forbes China Legal Industry Awards," jointly launched by Forbes China and LegalNine. This marks the first time for Forbes to hold legal industry awards in China. The evaluation, guided by commercial value and a new perspective integrating law and business, introduces higher-dimensional criteria to the legal industry's award system in China.
Forbes China Legal Pioneer
"The Forbes China Legal Pioneer award" recognizes lawyers who have made pioneering impacts in law firm establishment, management, professional development, and industry advancement. These individuals are often not only outstanding practitioners in specific legal fields but also continuously drive progress in law firm governance, talent development, practice standards, and client service mechanisms. Han Kun partner Charles Li has been honored as a "Forbes China Legal Pioneer" for his exceptional achievements.
Mr. Charles Li is the founding partner of Han Kun Law Offices. He specializes in public and private financings (equity and debt), mergers and acquisitions, incorporation and corporate restructuring, foreign direct investment, and intellectual property protection. He has represented many Chinese and international companies in a wide variety of cross-border transactions in different industries such as telecommunications, the Internet, information technology, energy, clean technology, consumer goods, healthcare, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals. Mr. Li is knowledgeable of PRC industrial policies, corporate structuring, capital operation, financial planning, and investment and project management.
Mr. Li has been consistently recognized by leading global legal directories such as Chambers and Partners, The Legal 500, IFLR, ALB, Asialaw Profiles, China Law and Practice, and China Business Law Journal as a leading authority in China on Venture Capital and Private Equity, Mergers and Acquisitions, Capital Markets Transactions, TMT, and Healthcare. The accolades he has won include: Eminent Practitioner in Corporate/M&A, Private Equity: Buyouts & Venture Capital Investment by Chambers (2020-2026), Leading Partner by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific ( 2018-2026), IFLR Asia Best Lawyer (2020-2022), Dealmaker of the Year – China (2020-2022, 2024), Dealmaker of Asia (2020-2024), Power List of Top 10 Lawyers (2015-2016) by ALB, Elite practitioner in Corporate/M&A and Private Equity by Asialaw Profiles (2020-2025), China Dealmaker of the Year by China Law and Practice (2018, 2021), The A-List China's Elite 100 Lawyers China Business Law Journal (2016-2018, 2020), and being named by the PRC Ministry of Justice to its 2018 list of 1,000 foreign-related legal case experts. In addition, Mr. Li has published dozens of academic papers in international journals as well as in mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Forbes China Mulan Award
"The Forbes China Mulan Award" highlights the professional contributions and industry influence of female legal professionals in China's legal sector. The impact of women in law now extends beyond individual cases or single-specialty labels, playing a significant role in broader business contexts and driving improvements in legal service quality and the industry ecosystem. Han Kun partner Yin Ge has been honored the "Forbes China Mulan Award".
Ms. Yin Ge is a member of the Executive Committee at Han Kun's Shanghai office and a council member of the Shanghai Asset Management Association. Her clients include numerous top-tier domestic and international financial asset management institutions, financial infrastructures, regulatory bodies, and others. She has extensive experience in financial regulation, asset management, funds, and financial sectors, and has led many large-scale, complex transactions and financial innovation pilots. As an industry expert, she has deeply participated in the legislative and institutional design of China's financial asset management sector and serves as an expert advisor to domestic and international financial regulators, industry associations, and exchanges, actively promoting the professionalization and internationalization of financial and asset management markets.
Ms. Ge is widely recognized by the market and professional institutions for her legal expertise. She was ranked as a Band 1 Lawyer in Financial Services Regulation by Chambers Greater China Region (2026), a "Highly Regarded Lawyer in Investment funds" by IFLR1000 (2024-2025), one of the "China Top 15 Female Lawyers" by ALB (2021), 2021 Client Choice: Top 15 Female Lawyers and 2021 China Top 15 Lawyers – Asset Management by Legalband, "Recommended Lawyer in Banking and finance" (2019, 2023-2026) and "Recommended Lawyer in Investment funds" (2019) by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific.
Outside her professional work, Ms. Ge founded HerGrowth, the most influential women-empowerment public welfare organization in China's financial sector, dedicated to supporting the growth of more professional women and promoting diversity and sustainable development in the industry. She is also a member of the Women in Arbitration committee at the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre and has served as director and supervisor of the "Teach For China" charity program for many years. Yin is a columnist for Caixin and has been invited multiple times to speak at global economic and financial forums such as the World Economic Forum, the OMFIF Global Finance Forum, the Greenwich Economic Forum, and the Luxembourg RMB Forum.
