About A&Z Law Firm

A&Z Law Firm (“A&Z”) is a partner-based law firm set up pursuant to the Law of the People’s Republic of China and approved by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice in 2004.

The Firm prides itself on providing effective and efficient legal services to national as well as international companies. A&Z’s practices include Foreign Investment, Overseas Investment, Competition and Antitrust, Intellectual Property, M&A and Corporate Restructuring, Labour and Social Security, Dispute Resolution, Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility, Finance and Capital Markets, Customs Logistics and Maritime Commerce, and Environment, Health and Safety (EHS).

The Shanghai Bar Association awarded A&Z with the prestigious title of Excellent Law Firm in Shanghai for years 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Justice awarded A&Z with the title, “Advanced Team in Judicial Administrative System in Shanghai in 2014”.

Concept

English Concept

‘A&Z’ refers to the firm’s English name which comes from the English idiom “From A to Z”, meaning from the very beginning to the very end, covering or regarding the entire possible range or scope, including all facts surrounding a subject. A&Z stands for the comprehensiveness in which all 26 letters of the English alphabet are accounted for.

A&Z believes that excellent legal knowledge by itself is not enough to satisfy clients’ needs. A team of outstanding experts from different industries is essential. The firm’s cross-cultural and multidisciplinary team is the best way to provide high-quality and efficient services to all clients. Within A&Z’s mantra is the safeguarding of clients’ basic rights and interests.

Chinese Concept

The firm’s Chinese name is 里格, Lǐ gé. The character of 里, Lǐ comes from the Analects of Confucius, one of the Five Classics of Confucian literature. 里, Lǐ, means benevolence and is the ultimate virtue. 里仁为美 (Lǐ rén wéi měi) means using a benevolent method to develop the qualities of a humane person, and to conduct yourself in a righteous manner. As such, a person should prioritise virtue and spirit.

The character, 格, gé, comes from the Classic of Rites (礼经, lǐjīng), another of the Five Classics of Confucian literature. 格,gé, means to acquire knowledge by studying phenomena. 格物致知 (géwù zhìzhī) is interpreted as the investigation of all practices and the expansion of knowledge by understanding ourselves. There is a direct connection between the world’s moral and empirical knowledge.

The Chinese pronunciation comes from the English word ‘League’, defined as a collection of people, countries, or groups that combine resources for mutual protection or cooperation. In its archaic form, ‘League’ also means to bind. A&Z believes that simply great mastery of legal knowledge by itself is not enough to satisfy our clients’ needs. Therefore, A&Z pools talent of different backgrounds and establishes every team with the benevolence of 里, Lǐ, and the knowledge of 格, gé, at the core. Legal knowledge must be utilised in a way that allows for experts in varying fields of law to work in a team and yield the best results.