Co-Effort Law Firm

What Co-Effort Law Firm does

Co-Effort Law Firm (协力律师事务所) is a Shanghai-headquartered full-service law firm founded in 1998 and reorganized in 2011 as Shanghai's first special general partnership law firm. It employs more than 800 practicing lawyers and other professionals, organized across a horizontal segmentation model spanning intellectual property, financial M&A, maritime and shipping, corporate securities, international arbitration, bankruptcy and liquidation, construction and real estate, labor law, criminal defense, digital economy and data compliance, corporate compliance and ESG, tax and finance, commercial dispute resolution, Japan-related matters, private equity funds, and financial dispute resolution. Service delivery is direct, led by professional lawyer teams that source clients through professional reputation, academic research, and industry influence, with billing on an hourly or project basis.

The firm operates 21 wholly-owned domestic offices across major Chinese cities and 8 overseas branches or cooperation networks covering Japan (Osaka, Fukuoka, Tokyo), Italy (Milan), France (Paris), Singapore, Germany (Berlin), Switzerland (Geneva), and Indonesia (Jakarta). In 2019 it signed a Belt and Road legal services cooperation framework with 16 law firms across Indonesia, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Iran, Turkey, the UAE, and Kazakhstan to support cross-border investment and trade mandates. Headquartered at 111 Dongyuan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, in the Lujiazui financial core, the firm runs a dedicated Co-Effort IP Center (协力知识产权事务中心) sub-brand and a labor union with 180+ members across multiple cultural and sports sub-organizations.

The client base visible in disclosed engagements is concentrated in Chinese financial institutions — including Ningbo Bank, China Minsheng Bank, Hefei Science & Technology Rural Commercial Bank, China Foreign Economy & Trust, Anhui Provincial Credit Financing Guarantee Group, Yongying Financial Leasing, and Zhejiang Ningyin Consumer Finance. The firm has received consecutive industry recognition across ALB China Regional Market Awards, CBLJ (商法) Excellence Law Firm awards, IAM Patent 1000, MIP IP Stars, Chambers, Asia IP, and the 2025 Top 100 Chinese Law Firm scale ranking (新则), alongside 10 consecutive years as a Shanghai Civilized Unit and 8 consecutive years as a Shanghai Top 10 Law Firm. Leadership includes founder You Minjian (a WIPO mediator and arbitrator), managing partners such as Zhao Sheng, and senior partners including Zhang Lingna, Ye Ping, Zheng Mingjie, Wang Mengjing, Ma Chenguang, Chen Lei, Fu Chengqi, and Ying Zeyi, several of whom hold advanced law degrees from Chinese and U.S. institutions and serve on provincial/municipal expert pools and bar association committees.

Name

Co-Effort Law Firm

Legal name

上海市协力律师事务所

Website

https://co-effort.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Co-Effort Law Firm is a Shanghai-headquartered full-service Chinese law firm founded in 1998, employing 800+ lawyers across 21 domestic offices and 8 overseas branches, serving clients in IP, financial M&A, maritime, international arbitration, and compliance matters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Commercial Law (BPAHAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI), Litigation & Dispute Resolution (BPAHAAAB), Bankruptcy, Restructuring & Insolvency Law (BPAHAAAH), Real Estate & Construction Law (BPAHAAAE)

Keywords

• Legal services
• Intellectual property law
• Corporate securities
• Maritime law
• International arbitration

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices35 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 专业法律服务收费: 协力律师事务所通过提供综合性法律服务收取专业服务费用。服务涵盖知识产权、金融并购、海事海商、公司证券、国际仲裁、破产清算、建设工程、劳动法、刑事辩护、数字经济与数据合规、企业合规、财税、商事争议解决、涉日法律业务、私募基金、金融纠纷、建筑工程与房地产纠纷等多个专业领域。收费模式通常为专业服务计时收费或项目收费。

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Co-Effort Law Firm is a comprehensive professional legal services institution offering full-spectrum legal services including intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets), financial M&A, maritime and shipping, corporate securities, international arbitration, bankruptcy and liquidation, construction engineering, labor law, criminal defense, digital economy and data compliance, corporate compliance, tax and finance, commercial dispute resolution, private equity funds, and financial and real estate disputes. The firm serves both enterprises and individual clients via a direct sales model, relying on its professional reputation, academic research, and industry influence to acquire customers.

Product overview

Co-Effort Law Firm is a comprehensive professional legal services institution offering a broad portfolio of legal services across multiple practice areas. The firm's services include intellectual property (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets), financial M&A, maritime law, international arbitration, bankruptcy liquidation, corporate securities, labor law, criminal defense, digital economy and data compliance, corporate compliance, tax and finance, commercial dispute resolution, and real estate disputes. The firm operates 21 domestic offices and 8 overseas branches, serving clients across China and internationally. The portfolio is organized as a unified full-service legal practice rather than discrete product modules, with specialized committees coordinating expertise across each practice area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 协力知识产权事务中心: Core intellectual property practice center providing full-chain IP legal services including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and anti-unfair competition
• 协力思辨社
• 协力运动健康社
• 协力舞蹈团
• 协力旅行社
• 协力合唱团

Products and services

• Intellectual Property Legal Services (知识产权法律服务) Comprehensive intellectual property legal services covering patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, e-commerce, anti-unfair competition, and anti-monopoly matters. Services include IP application and registration, transfer and licensing, protection system establishment, infringement investigation and relief, and IP litigation. For enterprises needing IP protection across multiple jurisdictions.
• Financial M&A Legal Services (金融并购法律服务)
• Maritime and Shipping Legal Services (海事海商法律服务)
• Corporate Securities Legal Services (公司证券法律服务)
• International Arbitration Legal Services (国际仲裁法律服务)
• Bankruptcy and Liquidation Legal Services (破产清算法律服务)
• Construction Engineering Legal Services (建设工程法律服务)
• Labor Law Legal Services (劳动法法律服务)
• Criminal Defense Legal Services (刑事辩护法律服务)
• Digital Economy and Data Compliance Legal Services (数字经济与数据合规法律服务)
• Corporate Compliance Legal Services (企业合规法律服务)
• Tax and Finance Legal Services (财税法律服务)
• Commercial Dispute Resolution Legal Services (商事争议解决法律服务)
• Japan-related Legal Services (涉日法律业务)
• Private Equity Fund Legal Services (私募基金法律服务)
• Financial Dispute Legal Services (金融纠纷法律服务)
• Construction and Real Estate Dispute Legal Services (建筑工程与房地产纠纷法律服务)

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 一带一路沿线国家16家律师事务所coreStrategic or Co-development Partner协力律师事务所与印度尼西亚、俄罗斯、乌克兰、保加利亚、伊朗、土耳其、阿联酋、哈萨克斯坦等共建一带一路倡议沿线国家的16家律师事务所签署了《共建一带一路倡议法律服务合作框架协议》，共同为国际投资和贸易提供法律服务支持

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Han Kun Law Offices: Beijing-headquartered full-service firm with strong PE, M&A, capital markets, and IP practices — a head-to-head competitor for cross-border transactional mandates with similar partnership structure.
• Fangda Partners: Elite Chinese law firm with comparable strengths in M&A, capital markets, dispute resolution, IP, and a similar selective partnership culture. Often competes head-to-head on premium mandates.
• Global Law Office: Beijing-headquartered full-service firm with strong securities, M&A, IP and cross-border practices. Comparable client profile (financial institutions, large corporates) and similar international office footprint.
• Tian Yuan Law Firm: Beijing-based full-service firm with strong capital markets, M&A, and dispute resolution practices; comparable in serving Chinese financial institutions and listed companies.
• Jingtian & Gongcheng: Beijing-headquartered firm with comparable M&A, capital markets, IP, and arbitration offerings; similar partnership-led model and mid-to-large Chinese corporate client base.

Broad incumbents

• King & Wood Mallesons: Largest China-rooted full-service law firm with global offices and a similarly broad practice spanning M&A, finance, IP, dispute resolution, and compliance. Comparable in scale and one-stop offering, but significantly larger and more internationalized.
• AllBright Law Offices: Large Shanghai-rooted Chinese law firm with full-service offerings across corporate, finance, IP, and dispute resolution. Comparable domestic scale and Shanghai-headquartered status.
• JunHe LLP: Top-tier Chinese full-service firm with strong M&A, securities, dispute resolution and IP practices. Comparable headcount, multi-office footprint, and international recognition profile.
• Zhong Lun Law Firm: One of China's premier full-service law firms with comparable practice breadth (corporate, M&A, capital markets, IP, dispute resolution) and a large domestic-plus-international office network. Closest direct full-service peer in scale and recognition.

Emerging players

• Haiwen & Partners: Boutique-style Chinese firm with strong M&A, capital markets, and PE fund practices; competes with Co-Effort on financial-institution and PE mandates but at a smaller scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/co_effort_law
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/co-effort-law-firm-llp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Co-Effort Law Firm