The continuing conflict between the U.S. and China has played a pivotal role in the decision by U.S. law firms to scale back in Greater China, and relations are expected to further deteriorate during the incoming Trump administration. But not all U.S. legal practices have suffered. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, best known for its disputes practice, has thrived in the fractious climate, amid a sea of tit-for-tat regulations between the two superpowers.

Last year, Quinn Emanuel launched its second mainland China office in Beijing, almost a decade after it first opened in Shanghai. Earlier this year, it added a new partner, Yixuan Zhu, the firm’s third partner in the country since Haiyan Tang joined from Paul Hastings in 2021. With both offices, it now counts 11 lawyers, including the three partners.